Chasing Waves
by TwitchWalkerTexasRanger
Summary: When Hallie Jessop moves back to Washington, she thinks she's got life figured out. Then one fight at a party turns two separate worlds upside down, forces them together, and she meets Collin Littlesea. While he isn't exactly thrilled about imprinting on a girl who looks like a snob and acts like a psycho, Collin knows he needs to find out why they've been connected.
1. It's Basically Like a Prologue

So... this is awkward.

I know Twilight has basically seen its glory days (or 'horrifying days' if you also thought Bella and Edward's relationship verged _just slightly_ on the toxic side), and everyone's pretty much forgotten about it, but apparently I didn't get the memo. Instead, I got this idea stuck in my head, and instead of being a decent person and _forgetting about it_ , I decided I would post it.

Don't know how far this is going to go, or why it's even happening in the first place, so you've been warned.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **It's Basically Like a Prologue**

The sun only just started to rise, casting an orangey-golden glow that began to evaporate salty mist brought in from the sea. The early morning air smelled faintly sea-weedy and muggy, and the temperature already started rising. At least, the subtle rise in heat was only sensed by one particular… lupine soul.

The change in weather prompted a sleepy-Sunday-morning vibe to span across an already quiet town. It gave Collin Littlesea a little reprieve from the early morning overachievers that usually confined him to the forests during his patrols.

He allowed his powerful legs to carry him through lush, dark forests and to break out on one of the many small Pacific coves that dotted along the La Push reservation. The sun shone brightly on the rough, dark waters of the sea and made it glitter. He charged into the shallow water lapping up on the shore, deciding it would be nice to cool off a little before heading home. Having a thick fur coat was great in the winter and all, but not so much when the weather started getting hotter.

Icy droplets soaked through his fur, and he reveled in the chill. Collin loved running through the forests and all, but he could hardly ever test how fast he could go with all the obstacles of undergrowth and trees hindering his every move. His wolf felt the freest out on an empty beach, and sometimes he just had to indulge his animal side.

 _Sometimes I'm still surprised you phase into a wolf instead of a Labrador_ , a deep voice invaded Collin's conscious.

Collin perked up, pointed ears swiveling before his body as he tracked the thread of thought. Keen eyes picked through deep green undergrowth, and found a jet black wolf as it stepped out of the forest.

Collin knew this other wolf. It was his alpha, Sam Uley. What he didn't know was why he was following Collin on a Sunday morning – an entire day he specifically _always_ had off and refused to turn into a wolf unless it was an emergency. If it wasn't an emergency? Well, it went without saying that it wouldn't be Sam who'd get mad.

Sam chuffed at Collin's thought process. _Emily gave me a free pass this time. I have some news._

Collin snorted at him, seeing Sam's stream-of-consciousness before hearing him say it telepathically. Images flittered in front of Collin's eyes. Images of Sam having dreams of his black lupine counterpart separate from him and run away, of Sam standing with Emily as they raised children, of Sam finally growing old and seeing fine lines appear on his face. Sam was retiring, and passing control of his pack onto… Jacob Black.

Sam physically snorted at Collin. _You're getting better at that._

 _At what?_ Collin asked, cocking his head to the side.

 _Reading the pack mind. You've always been more… aware than others, though._

Aware. That was how Sam liked to describe Collin's uncanny ability when it came to the pack link. He was able to see more and tell more, as well as see less and show less when he needed to. Some members of the pack thought it was cool (Brady and Embry), others not so much (Paul mostly and Jared occasionally). Collin didn't think there was anything to it, but apparently other wolves didn't have as much control yet, or it took them a long time to get there.

 _I could be an alpha trait_ , Sam explained, making Collin roll his eyes.

 _Just because I'm Jacob's cousin doesn't mean I'm alpha material_ , he replied. _It only makes me half a Black._

Sam shook his massive head, followed by the rest of his body. It was basically the pack's wolfy equivalent to shrugging their shoulders. _Just trying to find a reason to explain your 'uncanny ability.' There's no need to be defensive._

Collin snorted and padded out of the water. The soft sand sunk under his paws as he walked toward the other side of the cove. _When are we going to phase into Jake's pack? Is there gonna be, like, a torch-passing ceremony or –_

 _It won't be that exciting_ , Sam assured him. _I'm not even sure how the protocol works, myself. It won't be for a couple of months either, but I thought the pack should know now and be ready._

Collin cocked his head to the side, noting the tenors affecting Sam's subconscious. His emotions were bittersweet, nervous and excited at the same time, mourning for a part of his life that he never thought he'd outgrow.

 _I think you're making a good decision_ , Collin assured him. _I'm sure Emily's getting annoyed you still have your boyish good looks and she's getting older. As fun as this is, we can't do it forever, otherwise we'd be just like the leeches. I guess these imprints have a way of telling you when you can stop._

Not that Collin had an imprint to know, but just from seeing it firsthand with all the wolves in his pack who were happily imprinted with their soulmates (and those not), it made sense. Those wolves' biological clocks were now ticking, they had other priorities now. Sam would do fine with retirement, he could leave all the fighting and patrolling to the _real_ studs now –

 _Careful, pup_ , Sam warned with a playful growl. _Remember who taught you how to fight._

Collin chuffed at him. _Just trying to keep the mood light. Now go back to your day off, I'm sure I'll end up on the receiving end of Emily's wrath if you stay out any longer._

 _Goodbye, Collin. I'll see you soon._

 _Later!_ With a swish of his tail, Collin tore off, heading back to his house. The sun was only just above the horizon now, and Collin was looking forward to spending his day taking a nap.

Because since he actually had forever to live and a day off work and no other priorities, naps sounded like a pretty damn good way to spend his Sunday.

 **. xXx .**

In downtown Seattle, the sun climbed higher into the sky. The temperature also climbed up to a comfortable sixty-eight degrees with clear skies, making today a perfect day for moving.

Hallie Jessop parked her Jeep and U-Haul trailer outside of a newly constructed apartment complex. It was a stunning white rectangular building, modern and sleek in design. The sun glinted off hundreds of giant windows, making the building even more stunning. Hallie almost couldn't believe she was calling this place home.

Almost.

The seemingly hundreds of cardboard boxes spilling out of her tiny trailer reminded her that she was indeed calling this place home, and moving in. If she accomplished nothing else today, she at least needed to finish bringing the rest of the boxes up.

"How much did you manage to fit all that in one trailer?" Hallie's best friend of nearly ten years (and now official roommate), Whitney Eddison demanded as she trumped down the stairs to help Hallie unload more boxes. "I swear it's like Marry Poppins's bag in there or something."

"I didn't even bring that much stuff," Hallie said. "We don't have much left, I promise."

The slightly taller (by two inches) and slightly older (by one year) girl sighed dramatically. She then reached into the trailer to pull out two more boxes. "Well I hope you weren't expecting me to scope out the gym with you tonight. This is totally counting toward my cardio day."

Hallie laughed as she pulled out two more boxes. "Geez, Whit, if I knew you were going to be this whiney, I would've found a different roommate."

"Honey, you couldn't find anybody to replace me if you tried," Whitney replied.

They burst (literally, they both kicked the door open since their hands were full) into their new two-bedroom apartment, and dropped all of their boxes right in the middle of their unit. It was a small space, but it was also incredibly beautiful. Everything was bright and airy, from the light wood colored floors to the white walls, and the massive windows that stretched floor-to-ceiling.

The kitchen was the first feature set to the left side, with white cabinets and light gray quartz countertops. It was small, all of the appliances were set on one wall, and an island separated it from the rest of the space, but directly across from it was a small alcove with one floor-to-ceiling window where the girls decided they would put a small dining table. Straight ahead was the living room, the entire space was bright and open with more massive windows lining the whole space. It boasted a perfect view of the Seattle city line. To the left again were doors leading to the girls' bedrooms, separated by a set of stairs that led up into a loft space that the friends agreed to use as office spaces. The place was barely furnished (except for their combined dining ware, a couple of blankets, and two blow-up mattresses), but that would be changing sometime next week.

"It's even better than the pictures," Hallie breathed.

Whitney scoffed. "What was that about wanting a different roommate?"

"What?" Hallie asked. "Who said anything about different roommates, I love my roommate, she's a goddess, a visionary, a saint –"

Skittering paw steps interrupted Hallie's attempt at swooning her best friend, and she turned to the open bedroom door on the left side of the stairs. A medium-sized black, white, and tan dog with pointed ears tore out of the room, wagging his tail and panting heavily. Hallie grinned and dropped down to her knees as the dog ran straight into her lap so she would pet him.

"Sometimes – like mostly right now – I wish you'd gotten a bigger dog," Whitney said. "At least then it'd be able to carry some of this stuff."

"Don't hate on Rebel, he's the perfect size!" Hallie defended him, scratching the dog behind his ears. He was still panting heavily, as if he'd just run ten miles. Hallie glanced up at her friend. "Can you check to make sure he's okay?"

Whitney bent down and examined Hallie's dog with a clinical look in her eye. She reached out and stroked his head, checking his eyes and ears and the gums of his mouth. When she was done, she smiled and ruffled Rebel's ears. "He's totally fine. Just excited, maybe a little stressed from the move and watching you go in and out of the apartment so much. Like I said, he'll just need a couple of days to adjust. This is a big change for him."

"For me too," Hallie admitted as she straightened up. Her dog stayed rooted to her side like they were glued together, which wasn't uncommon for the pair, but he was acting a little… crazier than his usual.

"Relax, he's a Kelpie, or at least a good part of him is," Whitney said. "They're a hearty breed. He'll be fine."

"Well thank you, Doctor Eddison," Hallie teased. "Did I mention you're the best roommate ever?"

"Yeah, yeah," Whitney waved her off as she turned back toward the door. "I think I'm convinced you only agreed to move in with me because I can diagnose your dog for free."

"Yeah, the licensed veterinarian thing was a major contributing factor, I'm not gonna lie," Hallie said as she motioned for Rebel to go lay down so she could bring in the rest of the boxes. "That, and also the fact you can pick out the sickest bachelorette pads. Seriously, how did you even find this place, it's perfect!"

"Almost-licensed, and I have my ways," Whitney replied suggestively, wiggling her eyebrows for extra effect, and Hallie didn't doubt it.

Within the next two hours, all of the boxes were unloaded and the U-Haul was returned. Hallie was a little proud of herself for achieving something so… adult. She'd managed a major move (and drive) across the country by herself, no worse for wear. She was living in a swanky city apartment, about to start her first real job, and able to achieve it with her best friend and her dog. Not bad for a twenty-one-year-old. Life could not be better…

Except when it came to the mountains of cardboard piled high in the middle of the apartment. Yeah, that was a sure-fire way to knock the wind out of Hallie's sails. If packing all of her crap had been a nightmare, _unpacking_ it all would be certifiably worse.

Hallie tried not to dwell on it, instead focusing on pulling out the two bottles of wine she found at a small liquor store on her way back to the apartment. Rebel stayed close to her side as she moved through the kitchen, getting a feel for the layout. She heard Whitney shuffling around in her room on the right side of the stairs as Hallie reached for wine glasses.

"All right," Hallie announced as she uncorked one of the wine bottles and filled the glasses. "I say we get lit in this bitch and turn unpacking all of my crap into a drinking game. Anything sentimental, we take a drink. Any article of clothing of mine that's black, we take a drink. Every time we find one of my novelty mugs, we have to finish our drinks. What say you, fellow queen of the –"

Hallie stopped short when she saw Whitney step out of her room, no longer in ratty gym shorts and a tank top. Instead, she wore a loose-fitting white T-shirt, dark blue skinny jeans, brown booties (which were super cute and super new, her best friend had a fetish for shoes), a singular long necklace, and her small brown purse. Her hair wasn't in a haphazard pineapple anymore, instead she her long bob styled in soft ringlets, caramel hair spilling across her tanned skin. Whitney's makeup was (as always) ridiculously pretty with a subtle smoky eye that accented her brown eyes. She looked incredible, like a model off duty with her long legs and willowy figure, and not at all like she was going to help Hallie unpack.

"Damn, you're hot," Hallie said. "Did we have plans or something I forgot about?"

Whitney frowned, then checked her phone. "Surprisingly no, it was me who forgot I had plans. I'm meeting up with someone tonight."

"Same person?" Hallie asked. "Or different?"

A pretty blush spread across her friend's face. "Um, same person," she said awkwardly. "We're going out to dinner somewhere, she won't tell me where though. Do I look okay, do you think it's too casual –"

"No way!" Hallie exclaimed. "You look great! I wish we were the same shoe size, I'd kill to borrow those. And really? I don't remember you dating somebody this long, she must be hot."

"Yeah, she is," Whitney admitted with a small smile. For the first time Hallie had ever heard Whitney talk about her romantic conquests, Whitney almost sounded shy about it. "She hasn't really dated a girl before, though, so I can tell she's a little freaked out."

Hallie drank from one of the two wine glasses still in her hands, eyes narrowing. "Freaked out? Do her parents know?"

"I don't know, we haven't gotten that far," Whitney said. "She wants to take things slow, which for once is… Well it's… It's kind of nice, actually. I'm good with however she wants to take things. You'd like her a lot, Hall, she's…"

As she struggled to find the words, she had the dopiest look on her face. Hallie smirked into her wine glass as she watched her best friend come up with words. It was high time Whitney Eddison found some happiness in her life. When she came out to her parents about her being bisexual toward the tail-end of high school, they didn't take it well. As soon as she graduated, she left and didn't go back. She had been lost for a little while, she didn't exactly have the best track record for long term relationships or dating the nicest people. But after taking a break, and then meeting the mystery girl Hallie still didn't know the name of, and also Hallie moving back to Seattle herself, Whitney seemed a lot happier.

"Well she must be something if she makes you speechless," Hallie said, hoping this mystery girl felt the same way about her best friend. "I can't wait to meet her."

" _If_ ," Whitney said abruptly. " _If_ you meet her. We'll see how things go. Who knows, maybe she'll just be another nameless lover, maybe not. I won't get my hopes up. Is it okay if I go? I can cancel, an unpacking drinking game sounds like a ton of fun, and I haven't even really met my fur-nephew –"

"No way!" Hallie exclaimed. "You need to go! Boxes will still be here, fur-nephew will still be here, the only thing I can't promise will be here is the wine."

"Then I'll bring more on my way home," Whitney said. She walked toward the front door like a model, brandishing her keys with a brightness on her face Hallie hadn't seen since they were in middle school. As if Whitney read Hallie's thoughts, she turned around and smiled at her. "Thanks, Hall. You've always been the best about everything. I'm really glad you're back."

Hallie grinned back, the bittersweet twinge she felt was almost completely covered by her happiness. Was it wrong for her to be this happy? The answer was immediate: _yes_. Yes, it was. Going into exile should not be this happy of an affair, but Hallie immediately decided she wouldn't show Whitney that.

"Me too," she said. "Now hurry up and go, swoon the hell out of that girl. I do want her name by the end of next week, though. As best friend, it's my job to Facebook-stalk."

Whitney rolled her eyes and walked out the door. "This is why I don't tell you their names, you turn all investigative-reporter on their asses."

"Hey, journalism is my job! I'm just looking out for you!" Hallie shouted as Whitney shut the door behind her. She sighed and leaned against the counter, then looked down as Rebel trotted up to her side, tail wagging and face beyond happy. Hallie smiled. "I guess you'll have to do some type of work after all."

By way of response, Rebel turned around and walked into the living room, curling up in front of the massive windows to overlook the dimming sky and brightening city lights. Hallie sighed and took another swig. "Never mind then."


	2. You're Too Nice for That

**1\. "You're Too Nice for That."**

Another slow day in La Push passed the exact way Collin Littlesea expected it to.

 _Slowly_.

Not a lot changed in the small town, so it wasn't that surprising that days were slow and work was slower.

Partially, Collin missed the days where vampires were pressing at every boundary on their territory, back in the day when he felt like he had actual purpose. Even though he never got the chance to fight, he'd been on the brink of total war _twice_ , and it was a rush a small part of himself wanted to experience again.

But that would probably never happen in his extended life. That first little army of rogue vampires was taken out with ease, and that other almost-battle would never happen again. Those events had taken place eleven years ago, and (as Paul said to his unborn kid) "peace reigned over the tiny La Push kingdom ever since."

So Collin tried to go back to his regular pre-werewolf routine, the only exception were now border-patrols a couple of nights a week. He tried to readjust his goals: finish middle school, go to high school, get a college degree, kill a vampire… It really was the simple things.

News to him though, turning into a werewolf right in the middle of a warzone kind of shifted your focus. It was too hard for him to go back to public school. From awkward stares, sensing _everything_ at once in the tiny, bustling school, coaches cloying for him to join their respective teams, to the session with a school counselor suavely asking if Collin was taking steroids, it had been too much. So he dropped out of school and got his G.E.D.

Then Jacob Black told everyone he was going to open his own business with Sam Uley's help. It was a car repair garage (unsurprisingly), and offered any wolf a job that wanted one. Flexible hours for patrol schedules, working with his friends, getting reacquainted with Jacob's pack, and most importantly _money_? How could Collin say no?

That had been five years ago, and things had been great since. The job gave him the opportunity to save up enough money and move out of his parents' house and into a house with Brady Fuller and Embry Call, which had been more relieving than exciting. He didn't have to sneak around or keep secrets or hide the abilities that were a little faster or stronger than a human's. He was able to still see his parents, but kept it at a minimum once a week dinner. Even though they didn't understand what had happened to their son, they could still see him and be part of his life.

Collin felt like he had it all figured out, and besides turning into a wolf a couple of times a week, he was free to live it up like any normal twenty-four-year-old. That meant booze, parties, and _lots_ of girls. Not only did enhanced genetics keep Brady, Embry, and Collin at their physical peaks, but it also upped their chances of getting laid. The house they rented was on the outskirts of town, which made it the perfect place for wild parties. To celebrate the oncoming warmer weather, Collin knew Brady (the undisputed pack whore) was planning something.

They certainly weren't fixing cars today, that was for sure.

"I'm telling you, man, we should do it next weekend," Brady said. "Just in time for summer break. That way all those girls from the community college _and_ _their friends_ will get fucked up. Embry, you're down, right?"

Embry grunted in agreement from underneath a Honda. "I've gotten some texts from people asking if we were planning anything. Next weekend?"

"Yes!" Brady exclaimed. "This weekend's gonna be awesome! Coll, you're obviously down, you never get laid anymore."

Collin rolled his eyes, but his friend did have a point. It _had_ been a while. "I'm not the one who goes looking for it like you."

"Yeah, you're right. You've got the whole, 'I don't give a fuck' look that draws bitches in like moths to a flame," Brady shook his head. "You're lucky you got some of this La Push Kool-Aid, otherwise you'd be a monk."

"Are you trying to change my mind about the whole thing, or trying give yourself the freedom to turn our house into a landfill by Monday?" Collin asked. "Right now, you're doing the former."

"All right, all right! Jesus, _chill_!" Brady laughed. "Didn't realize I struck a nerve."

"You know I don't care about parties," Collin said. "Go nuts."

"Did someone say something about a party?" A feminine voice cut through the testosterone like a knife.

Collin perked up, a grin on his face when he saw Leah Clearwater strut into the garage. In typical Leah fashion, she wore denim cut-offs and a baggy cropped T-shirt. It showed off her long copper legs, and whenever she lifted her arms, a sliver of her toned stomach would show. Leah had always been attractive, but lately that was magnified.

Usually Leah had about the same temperament as a shark seconds before it killed something, but now she was smiling. Constantly. She was happier, nicer to the guys, and just never really got mad anymore. And Collin was one hundred percent sure it had to do with her imprint.

There'd been an initial shock from it all at first, especially from her. Leah was the only female wolf in history, so imprinting had been a touchy subject that wasn't even brought up. After it happened and she phased, though, everybody went nuts. Not only because Leah imprinted, but also because she imprinted on another _girl_.

Now, despite living in a small town, Collin liked to think of all of his packmates were pretty progressive thinkers. Nobody had a negative reaction to Leah's imprint at all, not even a single disgusted thought. All of the wolves either lived through or had seen the power imprinting magic (it was absolute, meant to be, stronger than soulmates), so it was an easy transition from "Leah likes guys," to "Leah has a girlfriend and she's smoking hot." So, obviously, everyone was just as overjoyed about her finding someone as Leah was.

It just meant something different for Leah's future. The speculation had always been that imprints were meant to create powerful wolf-babies and keep the line going, but since Leah kind of imprinted on someone who was a genetic dead-end… Well, who knew what that meant, Collin didn't really care. Over the years, he and Leah had gotten close, and seeing her as happy as she was, he would've been totally cool with her imprinting on a _cow_ if it made her smile like that.

"Hell yeah we did!" Embry said with a grin. "Why, you finally gonna introduce your girl to us? We sure missed her at the last bonfire."

"Maybe," Leah said coyly. "Apparently her internship is driving her nuts and she needs a night out."

"Well, _finally_!" Brady exclaimed. "You've been dating this chick for almost two months now, it's about time she meets the pack!"

"Don't even _think_ about mentioning that kind of stuff around her if she comes, and I mean _if_!" She snapped. "We agreed to take things slow, I just met her roommate last weekend –"

"Whoa, whoa, _whoa_!" Brady cut her off. " _Roommate_? Why didn't I know there was a _roommate_ involved? Is she hot? She's gotta be if she's rooming with your girl, hot chicks roam in packs –"

Leah flung a wrench Brady's way, which he narrowly missed. It clanged off the concrete wall behind him and skittered to the floor. Collin cackled at his friend's stupefied face, which was the perfect mix between horrified and kicked puppy.

"If you talk about her like that again," Leah warned, "I won't miss. I can't believe I stopped by to talk to you morons about this, you're all ridiculous."

Collin grinned, but didn't bother defending himself since he knew Leah's insult was primarily directed at Brady and Embry. "Just ignore them, Lee, they're jealous," Collin said.

"And you're not?" Embry challenged. "If I remember correctly, it wasn't all that long ago you were following 'the most beautiful girl in the world' around for a couple of weeks after your first phase like a lovesick puppy."

"So? It just goes to show what great taste I have," Collin shot back. "It ended pretty well for the both of us. Good friends, great wingmen, I couldn't be happier for her."

Leah smirked at him, then at the only other two men working the shop. "Anyway, if there's a party next weekend, I'll ask her if she wants to go. No promises though."

"Two months and she's already whipped," Embry sighed. "Is that what you came here to tell us?"

"No, jackass," Leah said, giving Embry a sidelong look. "I originally came by because I wanted to see if Sam talked to you guys about the merger."

"Yeah, we had a meeting earlier this week," Embry replied. "August twelfth?"

"August twelfth is the bonfire," Leah said. "August eleventh is the actual merging ceremony."

"Why are we even talking about this?" Brady asked. "We still have a couple of months before anything's even gonna happen."

"It's important to talk about it, though," Embry said. "This is a big deal for our –"

"For our culture, I know I know," Brady grumbled. "For the pack history, for our lineage, blah, blah, blah. What _isn't_ it for? I just don't get why it's such a big deal. All this means is we're gonna have to hear some extra thoughts."

"Because we _need_ to make it a big deal," Leah said. "With Sam stepping down and Jacob taking charge, the pack is going to be united again, making us stronger than ever. There are going to be some major changes with the –"

Collin was sure he was the only one who noticed the slight hitch in her voice, like she was saying more than she should. His brows furrowed a little when he watched her close her mouth for a split-second, before opening again.

"– the traditions and the stories," she finished, if not a little awkwardly, and Collin stopped caring. If it was something important, he'd hear about it sooner or later. "Maybe you're just too young to see it."

Brady snorted. "Whatever, Leah. Maybe I just have different priorities."

"You know what, you're _so_ right," she said. "I didn't realize sleeping around the reservations was such a monumental task."

"Hey, that territory has since extended to rural Forks," Brady grinned, saying it like he just got a promotion. Collin guessed he shouldn't have been surprised. Brady slept with girls like it was his damn job, and he'd been to the divey Forks bar to see him do it (and had gotten the best friend too, but that was neither here nor there).

"You're such an ass," Collin chuckled.

"Damn right!" Brady agreed.

"You're all ridiculous," Leah snorted. "I hope your imprint is as much of a bitch as you."

"Hey, I'd rather _not_ be tied down, thanks," he said. "I'm sure being in monogamous, committed, stuffy relationships is a ton of fun for you imprinters, but I don't think it's in the cards for me. I'm just not wired that way. It'll never happen."

"Never say never, Bray," Leah replied loftily. Her phone suddenly _pinged_ to alert her to a new text message. She pulled out her phone, read it, and smiled. "Speaking of imprints, as much fun as this was, I've got to head out."

"You just got here!" Embry complained, gesturing to the Honda stationed above him. "Don't you want to help out with this transmission?"

"Um, hell no," Leah laughed. "I'll see you guys later."

Collin stood up from the busted rolling chair he'd taken to sit on. "I'll walk you out," he offered, following the girl outside.

"A true gentleman," Leah teased as they walked out of the garage.

"That rumor won't spread very far," he said, stepping out from the air-conditioned building. They were greeted by muggy heat and sunlight beating down on their skin. They were having unseasonably warm (and bright) weather for La Push at this time of year, and it lifted Collin's mood. "Brady is my best friend, after all."

"But so am I," Leah quipped, "so it evens out. God, I can hardly stand those goons for more than five minutes, I don't know how you live with them."

Collin shrugged. "You get used to it," he said. "I'd try and get Jake to put you on different patrol times than them if I were you. Their thoughts are worse than their mouths."

They walked toward one of the few cars in the parking lot, a champagne-colored RAV4 affectionately known as Old Reliable.

"I don't even want to know," Leah laughed as she pulled produced the right key off of her giant, cumbersome keychain. "I guess it's a good thing I won't have to deal with this for long then."

Collin's eyes widened, but Leah didn't notice as she unlocked her car. When she tried to open the door, Collin's arm shot out with reflexes faster-than-average to shut it. Leah frowned and looked at him. "What?" He demanded.

"Relax," she laughed. "My imprint's only twenty-three. I'm going to wait a couple of years until she gets older, but I'm going to stop aging at some point. We can't do this forever."

"I know," Collin said, "I just… I guess I'm not prepared to hear it yet."

"It's not _that_ big of a deal," she said. "Sam's going to do it in a couple of months."

"Well, we all knew that was coming," Collin said. "And honestly, Sam isn't my best friend. I still can't believe you imprinted, much less already talking about aging for some girl I've never even met."

"Well, believe it," she said with an impish smirk. "And you're going to love her when you meet her. You'll just get it. I know we're taking it slow, but… you'll get how she's it for me. We're supposed to be everything our imprints need, but it actually works both ways. She's everything I've ever needed too."

He snorted at her dopey expression. "I wish I had a mirror so you can see your face. You look as dumb as you sound right now."

"Jackass." She snaked her hand out with just enough speed to catch Collin off guard and let her ruffle his hair. He shoved off of her car and let her open the driver door. "You'll get it when you imprint."

"Don't curse me with that shit," Collin said. "I'm _very_ happy with the way things are, thanks. Brady's way of life speaks to me on a spiritual level."

"Bullshit," Leah shot back through her open window as she cranked up her car. "You're too nice for that."

Collin cocked his head to the side and arched a brow at her. Out of all the things he expected her to say, that wouldn't have been it. He and Brady may have bonded when they first phased, but they remained best friends for a reason.

"You _are_ ," she said. "Brady's an asshole who treats women like objects. You may have your fair share of sleeping around, and you may be an asshole a lot of the time, but not when it comes to sex. At least you act like a decent human being when it comes to that."

"Human?"

"Out of all that, you're going to correct me on species?" She laughed. "Don't sell yourself short, Coll. When it happens to you, don't fight it."

He didn't like the certainty in her tone. The _when_. Collin never really had the desire for an imprint. It seemed cool when he first met Sam and Emily, and then when he started reading his pack brothers' thoughts, it suddenly and definitely wasn't. Being tied down and hopelessly devoted to one person did not seem like all it was cracked up to be. In fact, he couldn't think of a worse way to spend his time.

"Okay, okay," he said in exasperation, but he was smiling at the end. " _If_ it ever happens to me, I won't fight it. Happy?"

" _Ecstatic_ ," Leah rolled her eyes. "But seriously, since I have you out here, I want you to know if I don't bring my imprint to the party this weekend, she's coming to the bonfire later on this month."

"What about taking things slow?" He accused.

She shrugged. "I'm not going to tell her anything. I think of it as a… a gentle nudge in the right direction. This roommate of hers is more than just a roommate. They've been best friends for, like, ten years. I'm taking it as a sign that she wants to move forward. If she let me meet her, then I've got to introduce her to my best friends too."

Now it was Collin's turn to roll her eyes. "Did I mention that you sound like a total moron right now? Because you do."

"And did I mention that when you get an imprint, you'll do the exact same thing?"

"Whatever, at least tell me your imprint's name so we don't have to awkwardly refer to her as 'The One' or something equally weird. People would probably get the wrong idea."

"You're such an idiot," Leah snickered, "but I guess you have a point. Her name is Whitney. Whitney Eddison."

* * *

... dun, Dun, DUNNN! Did you see what I did there? I did.


	3. I'll Give You One

**2\. "I'll Give You One."**

Hallie Jessop didn't want to wake up at seven o'clock in the morning. Last night, when she set her alarm, it didn't seem like such a big deal. But then her roommate and two bottles of wine had different ideas. Now, seven a.m. was daunting.

She pulled one reluctant arm out from underneath the covers and reached out to silence her phone. She sighed, _loudly_ , and flipped over on her other side. She reached out to wrap her arms around her bedmate, smiling to herself as she pressed her face into warm softness. Unfortunately, when she did this, her partner had different ideas.

He squirmed and pushed his face into Hallie's, making the girl laugh. A cold nose nudged her to sit upright as her dog, Rebel, happily scuffled all over her bed as he tried to wake her up. She couldn't really complain, though. When Rebel woke her up, he made her face massive windows that took up the wall opposite her door. It revealed a gray early-summer Seattle morning, old and new buildings meshing together in patchwork, creating the most stunning vision she'd seen to date. Hallie smiled, feeling more energized by the second. Even after living in Seattle for almost two months, she still couldn't believe she'd done it. She moved to paradise.

She finally rolled out of bed, her bare feet pressing into the chilled wooden floors. She padded over toward a dark green armchair where she'd laid out her workout clothes the night before. They comprised of leggings, an anorak to block any early morning drizzle, a tank top, and her worn (but reliable, dammit) running shoes. She changed quickly when she heard Rebel's anxious pattering all around her small room, _way_ too keyed up to ignore.

Hallie rolled her eyes at her over-exuberant dog as she opened the door. He darted out, clearly on a mission. Hallie pulled her hair back into a low ponytail as she made her way toward the front door, grabbing her phone and keys on the way out.

She stepped out into a fully furnished and functional apartment, both Hallie and Whitney's styles melded seamlessly together through the entire unit – Scandinavian-modern (Hallie's choice) mixed with a bohemian eclectic flare (entirely Whitney). Though she'd never been much of a fan of clutter, the vast array of Whitney's knickknacks were growing on Hallie. The apartment looked more like a home with her touches.

" _Woof_ …"

Hallie looked over at her dog, sitting patiently at the door, waiting for to her stop ogling and get started with their day. She smiled and made her way toward him, right after she set a timer on the coffee machine to start brewing at seven-thirty. Whitney wasn't the best with noisy alarms (that girl could sleep through a hurricane), but apparently the smell of brewing coffee did something to the girl Hallie just didn't quite get.

She clipped a leash to Rebel's collar, and he shot out the door like a bullet as soon as she opened it. He yanked Hallie along behind him, and the girl had a feeling this wasn't going to be a light cardio day.

 **. xXx .**

Hallie had never been more relieved to reach the apartment. Her body was spent and aching, ready for a hot shower and a nap. Unfortunately, Hallie knew she would only get one of those things, and it definitely wouldn't be extra time for sleep.

"I don't know how you do it," Whitney greeted her. She leaned against the counter in their kitchen, hugging close to the massive coffee machine near their fridge. She had a novelty mug in her hands that read in plain type, 'your enthusiasm is scaring everyone' filled to the near-brim with steaming creamy brown coffee.

Hallie unhooked Rebel's leash, hanging it back on its post near the front door. As their morning routine dictated, he went straight for his food dish, and waited for his owner to catch up. She walked toward him, tossing two bags of donuts on the island (their usual Monday morning tradition) before filling up his bowls with food and fresh water.

"It's because I have a dog who has needs," Hallie explained as she set the bowls down, right after she nestled Rebel's green tea matcha biscuit (a special from the same bakery she bought the donuts from) on top. "He was getting anxious."

Whitney scoffed as the dog scarfed down his breakfast. "Yeah, the Rebel Rouser looks beside himself."

The percolating coffee machine brought both girls back to present, making Whitney sigh almost dreamily toward the machine. She still wore her pajamas, which consisted of sweatpants, a tank top, and an old cardigan. Her hair was free and piled all over her head like a frizzy haystack. She pawed through the bags on the island, and hummed in approval when she found a strawberry-iced donut. "Now my Monday is complete," she said.

Hallie reached into the cabinet above the coffee maker, which happened to be stuffed to the brim with their combined novelty mug collections. She pulled out another mug that read, 'one mug to rule them all,' painted black with a golden band around the rim. She filled it with the fresh coffee, watching script inside the gold band light up, meant to represent the Ring of Power from her favorite book series. Hallie smiled into her cup before taking a sip.

"You're such a nerd," Whitney scoffed.

"Umm, you're one to talk," Hallie replied. "You have, like, five Harry Potter mugs in there."

"Harry Potter is a classic!" Whitney argued. "J.K. Rowling is a goddess!"

"Then that makes Tolkien a _god_!" Hallie retorted, which made their halfhearted argument fizzle out into laughs. Rebel finished his breakfast and retreated to the living room so he could sleep on the couch.

"So… I have a proposition for you," Whitney started off.

"I knew it," Hallie said.

"Knew what?"

"That you were… _up to something_."

Whitney ignored Hallie's perfectly placed reference and leaned toward her, eyes narrowing. "How do you figure?"

"You're never this talkative in the morning," Hallie grinned. "Now what do you want?"

"Ugh! _Fine_ , you caught me," Whitney huffed. "I was wondering if you were… busy this Saturday."

Hallie snorted. "You know I'm not. What's up?"

"Well, Leah's kind of been… not exactly pushing, per se, but… _strongly hinting_ that there's this house party her friends are throwing, and she wants to go. Apparently they do it at the start of every summer or something, and I'm kind of freaking out."

Leah, a name that was often said with or without the presence of Whitney's new and no-longer-mysterious dating partner (because Whitney refused to label Leah as her girlfriend, _yet_ ). Hallie was finally able to put a face to the name a couple of weeks ago, and she was glad Whitney finally introduced them.

"Why?" Hallie asked. "You're finally meeting her friends, what's the big deal? Last week you were just complaining that you didn't feel like you guys were progressing. I like Leah, I'm sure her friends are just as cool."

"Yeah, but… _ugh_ , Hall! It's just that apparently this party is one of the biggest on their reservation," Whitney hissed, as if someone were listening in on their conversation. "I don't want to go alone."

"But... you're going with... Leah?" Hallie gave her friend a sidelong look. "Wait, Whit, please don't tell me you're going to –"

" _Please_ come, Hall!" Whitney invited her anyway. " _Please_? You know how awkward I get with people I don't know, I need a familiar face! You're, like, a better social lubricant than vodka! It won't be any fun if you aren't there, plus it'll be a good way for you to get out –"

"I don't want to get out," Hallie said. "Haven't we had enough homecoming parties for me here? What if I want _rest_?"

"Yeah, but that's just it! All of the homecoming parties have been _here_! Come on, Hallie," Whitney half-pleaded, half-commanded. "As awesome as this apartment is, don't you want to get out of it? It'll be fun, you'll see! There are _tons_ of hot guys there, so –"

"Oh my God, Whitney, I _don't_ _want_ to meet any guys," Hallie snapped. "That's the absolute _last_ thing I want in my life right now. Actually, not even the last, it's not even on my _list_!"

"Okay, okay, fair enough!" Whitney gave in. "Sorry, it's just… it's almost been six months, Hall… You can't beat yourself up forever."

"I can and I will," Hallie grumbled. She set down her half-empty mug with a little more force than necessary, and trudged toward her room. "I need to take a shower. It's getting late, Whit, you should probably go to work."

If she hadn't known Hallie for most of her life, Whitney would have been a little insulted by the terseness of the other girl's response. But because they'd been best friends for so long, Whitney knew Hallie was only trying to avoid the real issues that brought her up to Seattle in the first place.

As long as they'd been friends, Whitney knew entirely too much about her roommate than she probably needed to know about a person. She knew Hallie hated all vegetables except for a finite few, she had about the same temperament as feral cat (which was ironic since she hated cats), she would do absolutely anything for anyone she called a friend, and she absolutely _hated_ being pushed into corners.

As much as Whitney loved and adored her best friend, there was no denying that Hallie preferred to run away from her problems instead of meet them head on. So for the time being, Whitney would back off, and readdress the issue at a later time, since that tactic always worked best.

Or maybe she should get some reinforcements.

 **. xXx .**

Hallie stared blankly at her computer screen, clicking through website after website, searching for something to do that would inspire her next column post. Her boss was looking for something interesting and unique, something that would just scream ' _summer_ ,' and Hallie didn't even have a clue where to start.

Another blogger was already scoping out downtown Seattle's bar and restaurant scene, so she couldn't do that. Another person had already claimed a summer fitness challenge that'd been floating around the internet, and Hallie felt like those were the only two subjects she was actually good at.

She leaned back in her chair, sighing loudly. She looked over at Rebel, who'd taken up his usual spot next to her desk as he went to town chewing on an antler she purchased from a quirky all-natural pet store. That'd been less than a week ago, and Rebel already managed to whittle a significant portion away. Hallie scrubbed a hand over her face and continued to stare at him, thinking. Maybe she needed to do something out of the box for her summer article. Something different, something completely out of Hallie's comfort zone…

Finally, after a few seconds, Rebel figured out he had an audience. He perked up and stared back at her, then slowly started to wag his tail.

"This isn't a game, Reb," Hallie warned. "How am I supposed to provide for you if I can't even come up with a single good idea?"

Of course, Rebel didn't understand any of this, and took her words as an invitation for him to stand up, antler and all. He trotted toward her and set the antler in her lap, then took a few steps back, and barked at her.

" _Fetch_?" Hallie shot up from her seat, and pointed the antler accusingly at him. "You want to pay _fetch_ at a time like _this_?"

Rebel barked again. He was only getting more hyped.

" _Of course_ you –" Hallie stopped short, sparing a second glance at the antler. She slowly looked back up at Rebel, who was still wagging his tail and looking at her with anticipation, but his owner was thinking of something entirely other than fetch.

Suddenly, the front door opened.

"We're home!" Whitney yelled out in a singsong voice.

Hallie frowned at Rebel. _We_? And what time was it?

She checked the time on her computer screen, jarred at the fact that it was six-thirty in the evening. Had she really not written a single word all day? She almost didn't even come up with a decent idea!

Almost.

Rebel forgot about their game of fetch and tore down the stairs to greet Whitney and whoever else she brought with her. Hallie spared another glance at the chewed up antler before dropping it on Rebel's pillow before looking over the railing of their loft-space to see who else had arrived.

They were barely through the front door when they were assaulted by Rebel. Whitney dropped down to pet the dog, dressed in scrubs from her job. A ridiculously tall woman stood a little awkwardly behind her, trying to shut the door around their reunion, but also looked happy to see Rebel.

She was tall and lith, with a figure similar to Whitney's (if not lined with a little more muscle), and jet black hair cropped into a short bob. She was elegant and beautiful and whenever she looked at Whitney, she had this expression on her face like Hallie's best friend was the best thing since… well, anything, really.

"Leah," Hallie snapped by way of greeting. "Where are you from again? Like, what town did you grow up in?"

Leah Clearwater's head snapped up, eyes a little wide at Hallie's question. For someone so huge and intimidating, having a fashion style that was edgy and devil may care, she seemed awfully concerned about gaining Hallie's approval. As Whitney's best friend and sister-from-another-mister, it was Hallie's job to be hard to impress.

"Don't mind her," Whitney said, giving Rebel another scratch on the ears before standing up and making her way into the kitchen. "She's obviously the voice of someone who hasn't finished a column today. I blame the freedom she has to work from home."

"Oh, it's no big deal," Leah said quickly, hoisting four heavy-looking grocery bags up on the kitchen island. "I'm from the La Push reservation near Forks. It's a small town near the ocean. It's actually really pretty –"

Hallie walked away from the railing and sat down at her computer. She typed in the distance from her apartment to La Push and groaned. It was _four hours_ away. She'd been hoping for a town that was closer to her apartment. But she _was_ looking to get out of her comfort zone…

"So I guess there's a huge outdoorsy scene over there, huh…" Hallie hedged, her plan slowly coming together as she started typing frenetically on her computer, researching while she spoke. She pulled up several tabs, all varying in the subjects she needed. Then she opened her email, addressing it to her boss, and started in on the body of her letter:

 _Okay, so picture this. One week, one girl and her dog against the elements, trying to get in touch with their wild sides as they explore Washington State's nature scene…_

"Umm… kind of," Leah said. "Do you guys hike or –"

"Hiking? _Hallie_? Yeah _right_ ," Whitney scoffed. "Don't even _try_ to put those two in the same sentence, it'll be like forcing magnets together. She might look like an outdoorsy guru, but she keeps all that reigned in the city. I think the only trees Rebel knows are actually buildings."

"Well, I think it's finally time to change it up," Hallie said. "Especially since my editor's looking for a quality summer column that can't involve alcohol or fitness."

"Oh, I would've _loved_ a summer alcohol column," Whitney sighed.

"I don't know if La Push is the best place to try that," Leah said. "Forks has better hiking trails, especially for people just starting out."

"Okay…" Hallie said, diverting her research from La Push to Forks.

"Whatcha thinking up there, Hall?" Whitney asked.

Hallie finished her proposal and sent it off, then stood up from her chair. She walked back to the railing and leaned her upper body over the edge, grinning down at the two girls as they made dinner. "I'm thinking that maybe I'll finally get into hiking after all. Just for you."

"Psh, yeah right. More like, _just for this article_ ," Whitney said.

"Really? Why don't you get a feel for the area, then?" Leah asked. "My friends are throwing a party on the outskirts of Forks near the reservation. A lot of local people will be there, and a lot of them might be able to point you in the direction of good trails."

Hallie's smile fell. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm sorry, I can't. That's, like, four hours away. There's no way we could make it back, even with someone DD-ing. I can't leave Reb alone that long."

"Well it's a good thing my cousin is free this weekend, then…" Whitney started off, then cringed under Hallie's hard look. "I asked, and she said she'd love to chill at the apartment and watch the Rouser. Come on, Hall, you need at least one night off. You've been nonstop ever since you got here. _Please_? If you come out, I'll give you One."

 _One_. Hallie perked up at that.

Early on in their friendship, Hallie and Whitney had developed a bartering system of favors when they needed one to do something the other absolutely refused. _One_ was short for One Absolute Favor that could be redeemed for anything at any time, and couldn't be refused or questioned under any circumstances. It was rare these _Ones_ were ever delved out, and it was rare that these favors had ever been used. As it stood, Whitney currently had four _Ones_ , and Hallie only had two.

"I'll take it," Hallie said.


	4. Couldn't be a Cullen, Right?

Thanks for the follows and favs, guys!

* * *

 **3\. "Couldn't be a Cullen, Right?"**

It was one o'clock in the morning. The forests were near-silent and cooler with the night air. Collin was grateful for it. The past couple of weeks had been hell for a werewolf with an already above-average core temperature patrolling in the summer heat, it was nice to have a little reprieve.

He padded down the worn pathways created by his pack's patrols, taking in all of the familiar smells of the forest and La Push. From where he stood, he got pine needles, wet soil, and a faint trace of sea salt in a breeze. The scents were reassuring, letting him know everything was just the same as it always was in their territory.

 _Fancy meeting you out here._

Collin perked up at the thought just as he also heard another wolf's paws making their way toward him. His ears flicked in greeting as a brown wolf seemed to melt right out of the forest and at Collin's side.

 _Hey, Quil_ , Collin said.

The second wolf and not-quite-yet pack member, Quil Ateara, sat on his haunches as he looked out of the forest. They were situated on a hill some of the wolves jokingly called 'Pride Rock,' as it overlooked most of the reservation and gave them a perfect vantage point of their town. Quil seemed to take in the view as well, a loud puff of air escaping him as he relaxed.

 _I hate graveyard shifts_ , Quil mumbled. Collin's first reaction was to try and test their link, see why his friend sounded so tired, but stopped when he hit a brick wall. They weren't in the same pack, so Collin couldn't read his thoughts even if Quil wanted him to. Collin thought it was weird how easily he forgot that their pack was definitely divided into two, and he guessed it was an easy detail to overlook because he never really felt that way. He always patrolled with Quil on Friday nights, lived with Emrby, and was best friends with Leah. Their packs were too intertwined, they were all family. It didn't make sense to distance themselves from each other when they lived in a small town and had a huge secret.

 _Ouch_ , Collin said. _Sorry to hear that. I thought patrolling with me was the highlight of your weekend._

Quil snorted. _You wish. I'm just tired, it's been a long summer. Claire's been on vacation this whole week, so I won't see her until Monday. Then she's starting middle school and everything…_

 _Gotta love that imprint life_ , Collin joked, even though he didn't exactly think it was funny.

 _Don't get me wrong, I do_ , Quil said. _Claire is my world, she's just growing up. I just hope she's having a good life, and that time for her isn't going by as fast as it is for me._

 _I'm sure she is_ , Collin assured him. _She hasn't gotten any wrinkles yet._

Quil chuffed at him, then slowly stood up. _Yeah, because she gave them all to me. She's going to be a tyrant when she grows up._

By the way Quil said it, he sounded like he was looking forward to that end result. And that was why Collin didn't think 'imprint life' was all that funny. How could they be so sure they were _that_ in love with someone? How did it not freak them out? Quil was a textbook case. He had no experience with women, no experience with life in general, no idea of what the rest of the world was like, and he seemed more than willing to trade it all in just to be some little girl's best friend. How was that even true love?

 _So since we've run into each other_ , Quil said, unable to hear his thoughts (Collin was glad, if Quil heard him, he'd be good as dead), leading the way further down the trail. _I think we should hit the last checkpoint together, run a final lap, then call it a night. What do you say?_

 _Sounds like we don't have to be melded in a pack for you to read my mind_ , Collin agreed.

They shot through the forest, powerful legs carrying them up past the most eastern point of their territory bordering Forks, then a little further up north.

And that was when they both sensed it.

The scent, so sickly sweet and pungent and sharp, cut right through Collin's sensitive nostrils. It made him come to a grinding halt, kicking up soil, pine needles, and uprooting several ferns in his wake. The skin under his fur tingled like he was connected to a livewire. His ears flattened against his head as his hackles stood on end.

It'd been a while since he'd come across that scent, but Collin was sure he'd never be able to forget it for as long as he lived.

Vampire.

He allowed a low snarl to build up in the back of his throat, threatening to boil over. _What the fuck?_

 _Same_. Quil lashed his tail as he stuck his nose up into the air, the fur on the back of his shoulders also rising.

 _Couldn't be a Cullen, right?_ Collin asked, following Quil's lead as he let his wolfish instincts take over. He tasted the air, then sniffed at the ground. A mix between relief and worry hit him when he realized the scent was old, a couple of days at the most, and they'd never stepped foot on their land. How had the last patrols missed this?

 _No…_ Quil said, smelling the air again, but the scent was already growing fainter with each passing breeze. _The Cullens don't hunt this far up north. It's too close to us and the rest of civilization._

Collin watched the other wolf follow a very cold trail until he was out of sight, deciding he wouldn't impede the pack's second-best tracker. He stayed where he was, feeling his fur slowly lay flat against his back again when he realized they were in no immediate danger.

Quil loped back into view only a few moments later, visibly relaxing with a full-body shake. _We're pretty close to the eastern edge of our territory_ , Quil explained. _Whoever it was, they must've picked up on our borders and left. Could just be a nomad visiting the Cullens, but I'll run over and tell Jake just in case._

 _I'll let Sam know too_ , Collin replied. _You go ahead and go, I'll stay up and finish out the patrol._

 _Sounds good_ , Quil said, already turning and running south. _See you next week!_

Collin watched him leave and remained in place for a few more minutes. He scanned the forest around him again and scented the air. The vampire smell was most definitely there, but it was muted by the sharp pine and heady earth. Those two scents alone had the power to soothe him, but now that it was tinged with the sickly tangy-sweetness of vampire, Collin felt restless. He felt like he could run a hundred more miles. So he decided to continue following their patrol borders further up north toward the Makah reservation.

The incident, no matter how minor and obscure and _nonthreatening_ it had been, stirred something within Collin. A little thrill, perhaps, maybe even longing. His inner wolf felt a little less controlled, a little more primal. It wasn't much of a secret amongst the pack that Collin and Brady wanted to have their first vampire kills. Brady spent most of his patrols concocting scenarios of him coming face-to-face with a vampire and taking it out on his own. Collin wouldn't deny he had the same thoughts, but tried to keep them to himself. A lot of the senior pack members still had nightmares of the newborn battle Collin and Brady had first phased for, but never got to fight.

That would be a fight that would probably never happen again. At least not in Collin's lifetime (however long that would be), and he almost resented Sam for making them sit out of it. Not being able to fight alongside his packmates had been near-torture, they were fighting against their most basic instinct: _protect_. He kind of wished whatever vampire came too close to their borders would try it again just so he could finally have a chance to prove himself.

It was what he'd been made for. Whatever magic ran through his veins had chosen him to be a protector of his people, and he wanted to do whatever it took to ensure their safety.

 **. xXx .**

It was almost six o'clock in the morning by the time Collin made it to the house he shared with Emrby and Brady. It was an outdated mobile home with multiple additions that sat a little too high off the ground, with all of the railings wrapped in cheesy novelty lights (Brady and Embry must've installed them last night), which made the house look like a tacky Mexican dive bar in the middle of the woods. Yeah, it looked as weird as it sounded.

He could hear Embry's distinct light footsteps shuffling throughout the house, followed by the distinct opening and slamming of cabinets. Collin couldn't help but sigh. He knew what that sound meant.

He climbed the stairs with two bounds, landing on the wrap-around porch lined with warped wood. Chairs and tables were propped all around the space, which made Collin a little relieved. At least there wouldn't be much prepping left to do outside the house.

He pushed the door open leading inside the house, which was surprisingly clean, for the most part. Collin moved into the house knowing full well there were just some stains that would never come out of a place that had housed several bachelor wolves before they settled down with their imprints. A lot of wild times were had before that happened, though.

All of the floors were laminate and totally shot to hell. They stretched through the entire house. There was next to no insulation left in the home, which suited Collin and his roommates quite well, since they didn't really ever get cold. The house itself was small, when Collin opened the front door he was practically in the living room, which was overstuffed with massive out-of-date couches and chairs facing a monstrous flat-screen TV on the wall, framed by an amazing stereo-system (the only two things of actual value in their home). Straight back was the kitchen, which took up a major portion of the house with a peninsula and an island and a door leading to the back of the house. Further back were the three bedrooms Collin and his roommates occupied.

He frowned when he came across Embry searching high and low through all of the cabinets in their kitchen, a dark look on his face. "Please tell me it isn't true," Collin groaned.

Embry slammed one of the cabinets shut. "It is, though," he growled back.

The door next to the kitchen swung open with a little more force than necessary, its flimsy frame rattled in the wake of an overexcited Brady. "You guys are such pussies," he said. "It's _just coffee_ , not the end of the world."

Embry leaned over the peninsula to glare at him. " _Just coffee_ is what gets us to help your moronic ass party-proof this house. We don't have anything to eat, either."

"Of course not," Collin grumbled, resting a hand on his stomach. He wasn't hungry yet, but he knew it was coming, and he didn't want to be caught without coffee _or_ food. "Let's just go to the diner –"

Brady had a sudden, manic look on his face that he always had when things weren't going his way. Collin chalked it up to him being an only child. "But the house –"

"The house will still be here by the time we get back," Collin decided. "Besides, we need to talk."

 **. xXx .**

They only managed to leave the house after a few more party-proofing tasks appointed by slave-master Brady. They left closer to twelve because there was not much else to do until Paul and Jared came with a kiddie pool to fill with ice and booze.

La Push wasn't exactly known for its fine dining establishments, so they had to drive to Forks. It wasn't a long drive (only fifteen minutes), but sure felt a lot longer without coffee or food to sustain Collin or Emrby. On the way, Collin explained the vampire scent he and Quil came across.

"Well I hope it comes out to something," Brady growled in the backseat when Collin finished. "It's about time."

"You don't want that to happen," Embry said. "You say that you want it, but when it comes down to it… you won't."

"When it comes down to it, I'll take it out myself," Brady said cockily. "In fact, why don't we eat super-fast and then find the place where Coll found the scent? From there we might be able to track down that worthless bloodsucker and –"

Embry turned his car a little too sharply into a parking space at a local diner just on the outskirts of Forks. It was a shabby little hole in the wall that was open twenty-four-seven, which suited the entire pack just fine since they patrolled at all hours. Collin was fairly certain they'd become unspoken regulars.

"You don't get it," Embry said as he craned around in his seat to face both Collin and Brady. "Yeah, we're built to fight vampires, but they're built to _kill us_. It took about three of us per newborn in that fight, and a lot of us barely made it as it was. Besides the Cullens, any vampire near us is a bad vampire. You don't want to run into one, _especially_ by yourself. You'll be good as dead. I hope that damn leech caught our scent and left, they're no joke. _Don't_ go trying to find them."

Brady rolled his eyes, but to his credit, didn't say anything. Embry let out a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. He let out a curse at the same time. Collin reached for the door handle, pulling the hood of his Nike hoodie over his head in an attempt to block them out. He was running on absolutely zero hours of sleep, and he didn't want to take part in their usual morning arguments, whatever they entailed.

"I need coffee," Collin grumbled as he lurched out of the car.

As soon as he straightened up outside, he reveled in the quiet early-noon atmosphere. There were only four other cars max in the parking lot, and whoever owned them must've been working or already inside. He yawned and carded one hand through his hair, pushing back his hood, then scrubbed it over his face, sucking in another deep breath –

Holy shit.

It was faint, but it smelled like dryer sheets and clean mountain air and crisp juniper berries, but it all melded together, and, and… and it was out of this world. It struck Collin in a totally weird way, it made something in his chest ache. He recognized it like he recognized the smell of a vampire, or like he knew how to walk with four legs just as easily as he could with two. It was instinct, it just made sense, but this…

This didn't make sense.

Sure, Collin could smell things in acute detail even in human form, but they were usually duller. The only thing that ever smelled too-sharp to him in human form were the obvious things that smelled strong to regular humans, or the smell of vampires. He didn't understand this new scent, and why it was so strong (and not overwhelmingly strong, either, it was old and fading with time), but he followed it anyway, as it happened to lead him toward the diner.

As he opened the doors, cold air brushed past him, and he could still smell the… whatever the hell it was, but it wasn't any more intense. Whatever smelled like that was long gone, and he couldn't devote much more energy into it because above all he could smell coffee and he could smell _food_.

He picked out one of the booths just as Embry and Brady made their way inside, quickly filling in the empty seats, their argument seemingly forgotten.

"Did you guys smell that?" Collin asked.

"Smell what?" Brady asked as he picked up a menu.

"Just… whatever was outside the diner," Collin pressed. "It smelled like juniper berries or something."

Embry looked uninterested. "I don't even know what the hell a juniper berry is, so no. Why?"

"Forget it," Collin muttered. "I'm just hungry."

* * *

So many interesting smells going on in this chapter! What do you think?


	5. She Basically Just TOLD Me -

**4\. "She Basically Just** ** _Told_** **Me -"**

It was hard for Hallie to leave Rebel behind, even if it was with Whitney's incredibly sheltered, trustworthy, sixteen-year-old cousin. But after they left the apartment, piled into Leah's RAV4 and set off, Hallie felt a lot better about her weekend.

It was an easy enough itinerary. Scope out Forks for her article (even though she didn't have her approval yet, she knew it was coming), party with some of Leah's friends, crash at Leah's brother's house, then wake up the next morning and go home. Hallie was glad Whitney convinced her on this one, she needed a weekend out.

"So what are we supposed to expect at this party?" Hallie asked conversationally as they hit the freeway. "Is it like –?"

"It's like a typical college party," Leah answered immediately. "So much alcohol, it won't even be funny. I'll introduce you to all of the important people, everyone else is just random. The guys hosting live in a house that's kind of out in the middle of nowhere, which makes it perfect for these kinds of parties."

"And they're not serial killers, right?" Whitney asked. It made Leah laugh, and she reached across the seat to hold Whitney's hand. Hallie smirked from her vantage point in the backseat, but didn't say anything.

"More like serial sluts," Leah explained, glancing back at Hallie in her rear-view mirror. "At least two of them are. They're all really nice, but trust me, you don't want to sleep with them."

"Don't look at me," Hallie said. "I only came here for one thing, and that's to get wasted. Do more than two guys live in the house?"

"Just three," Leah replied. "Embry, Brady, and Collin. Brady and Embry are the serial sluts you need to watch out for, and they're assholes. Collin does his share of sleeping around, but he's not like them."

"Still sounds like a manwhore," Hallie pointed out.

"He is," Leah agreed, "but he's also my best friend. We go _way_ back."

Hallie glanced at Whitney, who for all intents and purposes looked uninterested in the conversation, but Hallie knew better. She saw her best friend chew on her bottom lip, and the way she flexed her hand in Leah's. Red flags went off in Hallie's head at Whitney's subtle stress, and decided she would do what best friends were supposed to do: make sure whoever this Collin guys was wasn't going to be a threat to Whitney's new relationship.

 **. xXx .**

The drive to Forks was boring and long, and they still hadn't even hit La Push yet. Hallie thought she was going to die of boredom, even after she organized her emails, took nearly twenty Snapchats, and competed in three lip-singing battles against Whitney. Leah entertained them with small stories about growing up on the reservation and her close-knit group of friends (names like Jacob, and her brother Seth, and Quil, and Collin were dropped a lot) and all the crazy crap they got into before she went to college.

The more Leah mentioned Collin was where they ran into trouble. Being the third-party observer, Hallie could tell Leah's stories with this guy really made him out to be nothing other than one of her best friends. He could almost be the Hallie to Leah's Whitney. But Hallie guessed her best friend didn't see it that way. It became clear when Whitney had to be _Whitney_ and started reading a book she brought along.

"Are we there yet?" Hallie asked around eleven o'clock. "I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry," Whitney grumbled, apparently still salty (no pun intended) that Hallie polished off all the good road trip snacks. She knew better than to leave Hallie next to a cooler full of food, though.

"Close," Leah promised. "It's still kind of early, but we can do a late breakfast. I know a diner around here –"

"Yes," Hallie said enthusiastically. "A thousand times yes."

"Only you would quote _Pride and Prejudice_ about food," Whitney muttered. "You treat every meal like a damn marriage proposal."

"Oh my God, I said I was sorry about the trail mix, _move on_."

"Don't tell me how to live my life," Whitney tried to bite back a smile.

"Don't tell me what to do," Hallie retorted.

" _And_ we're here," Leah said as she pulled into a parking space. "We can order something to go and still hit the reservation on time."

"I adore her," Hallie informed Whitney as they climbed out of the car. Whitney glared at her.

"Just get her a freaking sandwich and let's go," she grumbled, which surprised Leah. Hallie guessed she'd never seen Whitney in a bad mood.

"Don't worry, she's just hungry," Hallie said, pushing Whitney inside the diner. She leaned in close to her just as they walked inside the cheery (if not a little cliché) restaurant-bakery combo. "What's with you?" She hissed.

"I'm just hungry," Whitney said quietly, and Hallie didn't believe it, and had a feeling it still had something more to do with Leah's best friend.

 **. xXx .**

A sandwich and an extra bag of chips (Hallie's nonverbal apology for eating all the trail mix) lifted Whitney's mood, making the rest of the trip a lot more fun. The two best friends were back at it again, in the midst of a Snapchat war that would end all Snapchat wars. Horrifying selfie after horrifying selfie was shot off, which quickly escalated to equally grotesque videos of both of them lip-singing to whatever song happened to be on the radio. Leah joined in on a few, but Hallie guessed she knew Whitney was still a little bummed about this Collin guy, so she tried to stay out of the way.

Hallie was positive that this Collin-situation (as she'd mentally dubbed it) was one thing that would get solved quickly, especially since they finally crossed La Push's property line. Hallie had never been to a reservation before, so she had no idea what to expect from Leah's hometown, but she guessed she shouldn't have thought about it too hard.

It was a regular small town near the ocean, quaint and picturesque and peaceful. She watched people mill about around small shops. Sometimes Leah would wave at a couple of people who drove past. Hallie wasn't exactly the biggest fan of small towns, she'd learned early on the city would forever be her scene, but it was nice for a weekend getaway. A total opposite from her norm. She needed that.

Leah's phone suddenly rang, which forced Whitney to let go of her hand (despite the awkwardness between them, they hadn't stopped holding hands the entire trip) to pick up her phone. "Yeah?" She asked.

Hallie couldn't exactly hear what was said on the other line, but it made Leah laugh. "Yes, we're in La Push now… Well I'm glad you're excited," Leah said, looking over at Whitney. "She's excited to meet you guys too."

More talking on the other end. Leah adjusted her grip on the steering wheel so she could make a left-hand turn at a red light. The small town slowly faded back into forest. "We're gonna drop everything at Seth's house, and then I planned on showing them First Beach… All right, sounds good, see you later."

"Who was that?" Whitney asked after Leah hung up.

"Embry," Leah answered. "He wanted to make sure we were still coming tonight. Everyone's dying to meet you, apparently."

"I don't know if that's a good or bad thing," Whitney said nervously.

Leah smiled. "It's a very good thing. Trust me, they loved you as soon as I told them about you, almost as much as I…"

Leah choked and her words ground into an awkward halt, but it was too late. Hallie's mouth practically hung off its hinges, and she slowly looked over at Whitney to gauge her reaction. The tips of her best friend's ears were turning pink. Leah focused dead ahead on the road, her mouth snapping shut with an audible _clack_. Hallie wanted to bust out laughing on the spot. If Whitney was worried about the intensity of Leah's feelings, she didn't have to be anymore. Hallie absolutely _loved_ this, she felt like she was in the middle of a romantic comedy.

Soon the forests broke again to reveal a small neighborhood, and Leah pulled into the driveway of a particularly adorable white-washed cottage.

"Hey look, the house," Hallie said dumbly, trying to break the tense silence that formed in the car, pretending she didn't hear Leah's almost-confession. Turned out that just made things even more awkward.

Everyone filed out of the car, Whitney immediately surging toward Hallie to hold her arm in a vice-like grip. It was a move that clearly screamed, ' _help me_.' Leah made her way to the front door, clearly also trying to avoid the situation. Hallie opened the trunk to the RAV4 and started to hand Whitney her overnight bag. Once she was sure they would be out of earshot, Hallie whirled on her friend.

"Stop," she commanded.

" _What_?" Whitney hissed. "How can I – What are you – _What_? Were you having some sort of out-of- _fucking_ -body experience for the last five minutes? Did you go temporarily _deaf_? She basically just _told_ me –"

"I heard it. I'm telling you to _stop_ ," Hallie said, slowly. "Stop thinking, stop talking, and stop reading into it."

"I'm _not_ –"

"You totally are."

" _So_?"

"So stop," Hallie said. "She obviously didn't mean to say that right now, she didn't follow through. You've got to _stop_. Take a minute and give yourself time to collect your thoughts. You need to stop freaking out, and tell me in _one word_ how you feel. Go."

Whitney's face was scarlet at this point, her eyes darting all over the empty-looking neighborhood, and Hallie could tell she was trying to piece her thoughts together into something mildly coherent. "I feel…" she started off, "I feel… _scared_. Scared of… not being able to handle it. Scared of ruining it."

"Leah probably feels the same way," Hallie said. "The only difference is she doesn't have her best friend to talk her through it. She's probably in the house flipping out all by herself. What are you going to do?"

Whitney hoisted her bag over her shoulder so fast it was almost scary. "I'm going inside. Can you give us, like, five minutes?"

"Yes," Hallie replied. She reached into trunk to pull out her own overnight bag, and dropped it on the ground before shutting the trunk behind her. "My phone's barely alive, but it'll make it through."

"Thanks," Whitney said before rushing into the house.

Hallie sighed and leaned against the back of Leah's car, half-sitting on the back bumper as she flipped through useless apps on her phone. She decided watching videos on Facebook would pass the time until –

 _Ping!_

Hallie furrowed her brows when her email notification chimed. Her heart started beating a little bit faster when she saw who the email was from. Her editor. It was a response to Hallie's pitch. She quick tapped the notification, and the email opened on her screen:

 _Love. It. Make it happen. But no woods. Somewhere with an ocean view._

Her grip tightened around her phone. " _An ocean view_ …" she echoed.

She didn't have much more time to think it over, because a loud white Ford pickup lurched into the driveway and parked next to Leah's car. Hallie closed out her email and pocketed her phone just as the second car's door opened. She slowly walked around the back of the RAV4, raising her brows at the young man stepping out of the vehicle.

He was tall and muscular, skin as tan as Leah's that stood out from the plainness of his clothes. He had jet black hair cropped close to his head in a fashionable yet respectable crew-cut, and dark eyes that quickly scanned over Hallie. He looked a little confused, then his face lit up with the happiest smile Hallie had ever seen in her entire life. It made her smile back, mostly because it was infectious, and maybe because he was also ridiculously hot. She may have sworn off guys, but a girl could enjoy the view, right?

"Hey," he greeted her. "You must be one of Leah's… friends she brought over tonight."

"Yeah," Hallie replied, taking a few steps forward as she reached out with her right hand. "I'm Hallie Jessop, best friend of the more… important friend of Leah's."

The man laughed and shook her hand. "Yeah, I wish Leah would just call Whitney her girlfriend already. This whole courting thing they're doing is slowly driving me insane."

"Probably just as slowly as they're taking their relationship," Hallie said in agreement, which made the man laugh again. "I wish Whitney would do the same, she really likes Leah. I already know that their relationship is different from the ones I've seen Whit in before."

"Same for Leah, I'm happy for her. After everything, she deserves it…" The young man looked a little wistful as he said it, and Hallie frowned.

"What do you mean, _after everything_?" She asked.

He startled, then grinned at Hallie. "Sorry, not my story to tell. My name's Seth, by the way. If you couldn't guess, Leah's my sister."

"I figured, or at least that you were a nosy neighbor," Hallie joked.

"Eh, it's almost one in the same at this point," Seth said, which made her laugh. "So… is there something going on that's preventing you from going inside, or…?"

"Just fulfilling my oath as best friend, dutiful chaperone, and third wheel for the weekend," Hallie replied. "They needed a minute alone."

"So I guess I shouldn't go in there either, huh?"

"I mean, not unless you wanted to ruin my plans to get them officially together by the end of this weekend," she said. "You couldn't be that heartless, right?"

"No, but it is Saturday, and I'm ready to start it off right," he said. "Did Leah mention that we live ridiculously close to a beach? It's a five minute walk from here."

"Why didn't you start with that?" Hallie asked. "Lead the way."

Within the five minute walk, Hallie learned that Seth Clearwater worked at the high school in Forks as a teacher's assistant for algebra. She also learned he was incredibly sweet, cheery, and everything Hallie totally respected in a person. He had a simple story and a simple life with simple needs. Hallie guessed since he grew up somewhere so beautiful, contentment like his was easy to come by. Or maybe that was just Seth's easygoing personality.

When they finally reached the top of a steep hill overlooking the beach, Hallie understood just how easy being content with one's home could be.

Massive driftwood logs, polished and smoothed down by rough ocean water littered the beach as well as giant boulders. The beach itself was comprised of ashy colored sand that gave way to grayish blue waves. Further along the coastline, she saw the land rise much higher than the water, forming jagged cliffs. It was all so dramatic and beautiful Hallie could hardly believe her eyes.

She found her editor's ocean view.


	6. What Deal?

**5\. "What Deal?"**

Collin could hardly enjoy his breakfast with that smell lingering in the diner. Every time the air conditioning in the building circulated, he would get hit with juniper berries and mountain air, the scent fading more and more each time. He strained in senses so he could catch it every time, but all he got out of it was more confusion and a headache.

Honestly, Collin didn't really consider himself to be one of those people who had _favorite_ things. He liked just about anything and didn't have preferences. But this smell… it was one of the best smells Collin had ever come across in his entire life. It was like he found a his personal wolfy strain of catnip, and he couldn't get enough. He scanned the diner for any plug-in air fresheners, a candle, _something_ that would explain the amazing smell, but he found none.

His packmates obviously couldn't detect it, or they obviously didn't care enough about it. He knew if he asked a second time, Brady would call him a loser and he'd get made fun of the entire trip home. So Collin kept it to himself, trying his best to eat all of his food even though his appetite slowly left him.

Finally, once he absolutely couldn't stand it anymore, Collin let his fork slip out of his hand and clatter on the plate, leaving more than half of an overstuffed omelet uneaten. When he looked up, he saw his roommates had long since finished their meals, and were staring at him. He glared back. "What?" Collin asked.

Embry shifted on the other side of the table. "Uh… nothing man," he said. "You just look like you want to punch somebody."

"And that's news? According to you and Bray, I always look like I want to punch somebody," he said.

"Well, you look like it more than usual," Brady said.

"Whatever," Collin said. He reached into his wallet and fished out a twenty to leave on the table. "I'm going to run home."

"Are you okay?"

He didn't bother answering. He got up and walked out, freeing himself of the scent as he made his way to the forest behind the diner. Once he was sure he was out of sight, he stripped and tied his clothes around his ankle with a leather cord he along with the other members of his pack always carried with them.

Heat and frustration and a little anxiety rolled off of Collin as his entire body shifted into something bigger and stronger. He always had a better time dealing with his problems as a wolf. He didn't even know why he identified a freaking _smell_ as a problem anyway, but a problem it was, and it was driving him nuts. He could still get a faint whiff of it outside now, but it was growing fainter and fainter and going east, straight for La Push. At least that's what it seemed like.

Collin slowly padded after the smell, unsure if he was certain enough to follow it. It definitely piqued his curiosity, though. That he couldn't deny. But it was like fate finally intervened, because when he smelled the air again, he couldn't track it anymore.

 _What smell?_ Jared suddenly asked, jarring Collin out of… whatever was going on with him. He definitely wasn't acting like himself, that was for sure. For someone being so mentally _aware_ of all of his packmates, Collin didn't even register his friend's telekinetic link when he phased. He snorted and lashed his tail, finally turning away from the scent. He needed to get home. _Now_.

Collin could feel a mental nudge. It pushed just outside of his subconscious. Jared wanted to know what was bothering him. Out of Sam's pack, Collin was usually the last person to get mad about something, so Jared assumed something big went down. Such a gossip.

 _Hey, I resent that._

But Collin showed Jared the scent anyway, and he could feel his packmate's confusion (and a little dismay at such trivial information). But maybe he knew something about it Collin didn't.

 _Nah, man sorry. I couldn't tell you_ , Jared said. _Actually smells kind of like ordinary girl-smell._

But for it to linger in one place for so long? Or be that strong? Collin didn't buy it.

 _Maybe somebody was wearing really strong perfume_ , Jared suggested.

Collin snorted and pushed off his back legs, running through the forest toward his house. Perfume, even _strong_ perfume, shouldn't be able to last that long. He dredged up memories from the back of his mind, recalling Sam's early teachings when he and Brady first phased. He explained that vampires smelled really good to humans, it was all part of the predatory package to lure their prey in –

 _No way_ , Jared said. _Even when we're human, vampires still smell bad, you know that. You're just overthinking it because of the trail you and Quil picked up on last night._

Then how come it bothered Collin so much? The scent made his skin crawl with anxiety, like something wasn't right, like he should _know_ what it was…

 _Can't tell you that, bro_ , Jared said. _It's weird, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. Maybe it's just your wolf finding something it likes._

 _That sounds fucking ridiculous_ , Collin finally said.

 _Sorry, man. Maybe you should talk to Sam about it_ , Jared said. _Anyway, I've got to go. We're going to play football at First Beach, you should come. It'll help take your mind off of things._

 _I wish_ , Collin said, _but you know how much of a dick Brady can be the day of parties. He won't rest until everything is perfect._

 _Well it pays off. You guys always throw the best parties._

 _This is true_ , Collin agreed, his house coming into view. _You and Kim are coming tonight too, right?_

 _Yup! Wouldn't miss it for the world! Later!_

Collin felt Jared phase and leave him alone, and he phased moments just before he reached the treeline bordering around the house. He pulled on his shorts but left the shoes bundled up in his hoodie, and made his way into the house.

It was uncharacteristically quiet when he walked inside, and Collin could finally breathe. No weird juniper-scent to irritate him, no obnoxious roommates that didn't seem to have an off switch when it came to being… well, being themselves.

So he wanted to take advantage of having the house to himself. Even if it was for only ten minutes, he'd take it. As soon as he walked through the front door, he immediately bee-lined it for the couch and dropped on top of the lumpy cushions. Collin sighed in relief and closed his eyes –

The front door slammed open.

"First Beach?" Embry asked as he and Brady ( _loudly_ ) walked inside. "I think some of the guys are actually hanging out over there, I might just have to join you… Bye, Lee."

"What the hell?" Brady demanded, and Collin finally opened his eyes. How did they get home so early? Collin wondered if he'd spent more time tracking that stupid smell than he thought. Emrby was smiling like he was too pleased with himself as he tried to make his way to his room, but Brady had cut him off. "You're seriously going to First Beach right now? What the hell is so special about Saturday football on a beach, anyway?"

"Well for one, it isn't here," Embry said. "And two, that's where Leah's going to be. And where there's Leah, there's gonna be her imprint, and where there's her imprint…"

He left the line open, waiting for Brady to catch up. Collin rolled his eyes as his best friend's face portrayed exactly what he was thinking. Like he was putting together all the pieces, and then finally –

"What the _hell_?" Brady exploded. "You _can't just_ – You're not – We had a _deal_!"

"What deal?" Collin asked.

"We said we'd meet her on the day of the party and no sooner," Embry said. "It's the day of the party, and I've helped out enough with party-proofing. I deserve a head start."

"Whatever, man," Brady rolled his eyes and walked away from Embry, shaking his head and cursing under his breath. He sat down on the worn-out recliner next to the couch Collin occupied. "Do whatever you want, I don't even care anymore. I didn't realize you were this threatened by me, but whatever."

"What _deal_?" Collin asked again.

"We kind of decided to make tonight a little more interesting than our other parties," Embry finally answered him, but he was walking into his room. "I'll let Brady explain, I've got to change."

Collin looked at Brady expectantly, but Brady pretended to ignore him and scroll through his phone. Collin sighed. "Brady, come on…"

"It's not even a big deal," Brady huffed. "Like Em said, we were just trying to make tonight a little more interesting. With Leah's imprint bringing her friend to the party, we wanted to see who could bang the friend first. She's hot, man."

"You're an asshole," Collin shot back. "Both of you are. Who the fuck in their right mind makes sleeping with a girl a _competition_? Jesus Christ, it's bad enough that you torture people with your fucking highlight reels on patrol, but _this_? You're taking it way too far, man. All of it."

"Hey, don't go all high and mighty on me," Brady snapped. "Last time I checked, you weren't such a saint yourself. If you want, I can go on and on about all the girls you've wronged for the past ten years."

"Whatever, Brady," Collin growled just as Embry stepped back out of his bedroom and started making his way out the door. "I hope you think it's worth it."

It almost looked like Embry was going to stop at the door, but then his mouth set in a firm line and he walked out. Collin shot up from his seat and started walking toward his room.

"What are you doing?" Brady asked.

"I'm going to bed," Collin replied. "I've been patrolling all night, haven't had any sleep or a decent thing to eat, and you're getting on my last nerve."

 **. xXx .**

 _Ping!_

Collin woke up to his phone lighting up his dark room. He blinked past the bleariness in his eyes, and slowly reached out for the bright screen.

As he did, he became more coherent. He could hear a couple of guys from the pack outside, along with loud crashing noises and laughing. He narrowed his eyes and pulled the phone up to his face so he could read his screen. A message from Leah had popped up on his notifications.

 _Excited for the party tonight! Can't wait for you to finally meet her! Maybe we can do breakfast tomorrow before we leave?_

He sighed and rolled onto his back, typing out his reply:

 _Sounds good, Lee. Can't wait to meet her._

He sent the text and rolled out of bed. He ambled out of the house, not exactly in a rush to see what other horrifying acts Brady had done in the past couple of hours Collin had been sleeping.

He walked outside, finding Paul, Brady, and Embry filling a giant hot pink kiddie pool with ice. Jared was in the back of his truck, pulling out several cases of beer and…

"Jell-O shots?" Collin asked incredulously, spying a giant box filled with multi-colored tiny plastic cups.

"Only a few," Jared said. "Kim wanted to offer something to the party."

"More's coming too," Brady explained, giving Collin a wary look as if he wasn't sure they should be talking to each other. They'd never really fought before, and Collin wasn't exactly mad at him anymore, but he was fed up. He felt a need to stand his ground on this one. Brady had been just way too _Brady_ for him to ignore. "I, uh, told everyone it's pretty much _BYOB_."

"Are you going to stand there and ask questions, or are you actually gonna help at some point?" Paul demanded.

Collin vaulted over the deck and landed hard on the lawn. He followed Jared back to his truck and started hoisting up boxes, carrying them back to the kiddie pool. It only took two more trips for the bed of his truck to empty. Soon, there wasn't anything else for the pack to do. They started meandering in and out of the house, opening beers, sitting on the lawn chairs. The sun slowly dipped beneath the horizon, and Collin guessed he'd slept a lot longer than he originally thought.

He decided to take a shower and change into something a little more flattering than near-tattered gym clothes. When he walked out of his bedroom in a fresh change of clothes (a pair of khaki shorts and a V-neck tee), he was surprised to find Brady leaning on his doorframe.

"Stalking me now, Fuller?" Collin asked.

"Shut up, Littlesea," Brady retorted. "I, uh… I just wanted to let you know we called it off. The bet, I mean. I get what you said, but it's just… Well, anyway, sorry about it. Like I said, we called it off."

It was as close to an apology as Collin would get, so he took it. He could never stay mad at Brady for long, anyway. "Yeah, well, I could've probably been less of a dick about it, so I guess we're even."

Brady smirked and straightened up. "Even," he agreed.

"Are you two done having your moment?" Embry asked from the other end of the house.

"Shut up, Call," Brady said, but the threat was halfhearted.

"Come on," Collin said, making his way to the kitchen. "I'm ready for a drink."

* * *

Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favs! I'm slowly falling in love with writing about Collin. And Brady! I _adore_ Brady. What do you guys think?


	7. She's It for Her

**6\. "She's It for Her."**

"You… You grew up here?" Hallie asked Seth in awe, beyond impressed with Leah's hometown now. Hallie pulled out her phone to take a picture of the beach, determined to send it to her editor as soon as she got to a charger.

"Born and raised," Seth said proudly. "That white house is the one Leah and I grew up in. After my mom remarried, Leah moved out, and I came back from school, I decided I couldn't just sell it. Too many memories."

Hallie smirked. "I guess I could peg you for the sentimental type."

"Hey, if I have to be a type, I'd rather be sentimental," Seth said. "It helps me remember what's important."

Hallie couldn't help but disagree, but kept that to herself.

They made their way down a set of warped wooden stairs to get to the bottom of the beach. It was then that Hallie noticed four more men around the same age and build as Seth (were genetics really this good to all the Native Americans in La Push, or…?) and same general characteristic hotness were playing football on an empty part of the beach. A group of girls were sitting in front of one of the large driftwood logs, seeming to cheer the boys on with bottles in their hands.

"Looks like we came a little too late," Seth said cheerily as he led the way toward them. "You gotta be careful around places like this, Hallie, the locals here are basically beach bums. Don't take anything they say seriously."

"Shut up, Clearwater!" One of them with a football in his hands shouted, and chucked the ball straight for Seth. He threw it with a good amount of force, making the ball spiral and arc through the air with enough force that Hallie was sure would put a professional athlete to shame. She shied away from Seth as the ball came closer to them, determined not to sustain any injuries before the party.

"Uh, Seth –"

 _Whuupamm!_

Hallie's eyes widened as Seth caught the ball in his huge hands, laughing it off even though she was pretty sure the force of catching the ball alone would've broken half of her fingers if she'd tried to catch it. She didn't know how he wasn't crying out in pain, it was like the catch didn't even phase him at all. Maybe this was why Hallie never got into sports.

Instead, he just tossed it right back toward the group. "Well, someone had to warn her!" Seth said jokingly.

As they made their way closer to the group, the guys stopped playing in order to walk toward Seth and meet them halfway. "Guys, this is Hallie Jessop. She came with Leah's friend Whitney for the party this weekend. Hallie, this is Sam, Jared, Paul, and Embry. Sitting at the log over there are Jared's fiancée Kim and Paul's wife Rachel."

The two women waved Hallie over to them, both tall and willowy with the same tan skin as the men on the beach and raven black hair. That lounged against the log in shorts and tank tops with a large red cooler stationed next to them. "Come sit with us," one of them called. "We won't bite!"

Hallie smiled and made her way over, only to be stopped by one of the guys. He was only a little shorter and stockier than the others, but still one hundred percent attractive in Hallie's book. His hair was a little longer than Seth's, with bangs that swept over his eyes like he was still imitating the cool-guy hairstyles Hallie remembered from middle school.

"Finally, someone to collaborate Leah's story," he said, flashing a grin at Hallie with bright white teeth. "After all this time, we were beginning to think Leah was lying when she said she met someone."

Hallie cocked her head to the side and smirked, but continued walking toward the two girls on the log. "Fortunately for her, she wasn't lying," Hallie said. "I guess I now know her ulterior motives for getting me to come over here. And here I was hoping to have some quality bonding time with my best friend's girlfriend."

The guy smirked back, and Hallie immediately knew this had to be one of the guys Leah warned her about, the manwhores. It oddly eased Hallie into her comfort zone. She could deal with guys like this all day, it was the nice ones that threw her off. "I wouldn't worry about that if I were you," he said. "Leah's over like what, a couple of times a week? You guys will be best friends by the end of the month, I'm sure. You seem like the type that makes new friends easily."

"Solid point," Hallie agreed. "So what should I do in the meantime?"

"Have a drink?"

"Come on, Embry, leave her alone!" One of the girls crowed from the log. Yes, Embry, that was definitely a name Leah mentioned. Hallie was proud of herself for spotting the player a mile away, and sent him an apologetic look.

"I would love one," Hallie said, "but it looks like you're out of time."

She walked away from him, making her way towards the girls on the log, offering them a more genuine smile. "Hey," she greeted. "I'm Hallie, Whitney's friend."

"Nice to meet you," one of the girls said. She was a little older looking, maybe late twenties or early thirties at most with long, straight black hair. "I'm Rachel, and this is Kim."

Kim was a little smaller and looked in her mid-twenties. She had shorter black hair, and a lighter complexion with barely-there freckles dusting her face. She flashed Hallie a bright smile. "Hey, Hallie, come sit with us. Did you say you wanted a drink? We've got Budweiser and Corona in there, and some weird IPA-thing Jared wanted to try."

"Yes, please," Hallie said, reaching into the huge cooler next to the girls' feet. She reached through the ice and found a Corona before settling next to the girls against the driftwood log. "Thanks for inviting me over here, Leah and Whitney will be down shortly, I'm sure," she said, reaching for the lid of her beer –

"I can get that for you," Embry said as he jogged over to them, reaching for Hallie's drink. She smiled back at him as Rachel groaned loudly.

"Oh my God, Embry, it's not like she's going anywhere," the older woman snapped. "Why don't you go play football and let the girls have time to themselves?"

"Well, now that Seth's here, it wouldn't be a fair game," Embry said. He lifted one leg over the side of the log and straddled across it, leaning close to them. "Besides, I'm trying to be a good host and make sure Hallie can easily access her beer –"

Hallie rolled her eyes and used her shirt to twist off the cap. It came off easily, and she took the small metal piece and tossed it in a grocery bag next to the cooler. "It's a twist-top," Hallie said with a self-satisfied smile. "I'm sure I can survive."

"Thank God," Kim said as Hallie took the first sip of her drink. It was cold and crisp and everything she needed to get her weekend started. "Your services are no longer required."

"As if they ever were in the first place," Rachel grumbled. "Hey, I thought you had a party to help plan. Did you leave Brady and Collin to do it all by themselves?"

"Do you know how high-maintenance Brady gets the day of parties? I'm good," Embry said and smiled down at Hallie. "I'd rather spend my Saturday afternoon talking to cute girls."

Rachel pretended to gag while Kim reached over Hallie's head to smack Embry's knee. "Could you _be_ any more obvious?"

"Or rude," Hallie said, which brought a short silence over the small group. "I'm _way_ more than cute."

This made the girls laugh, while Embry seemed to take it as a challenge. "I like your confidence," he said.

Hallie turned to actually respond to him until something else caught her eye at the end of the beach.

Both Whitney and Leah were making their way across the sand toward the rest of the party, holding hands and looking happier than ever. At least Hallie could tell Whitney did. The way she leaned against Leah's side, with the most serene smile on her face… Whitney actually looked _complete_. Hallie took another sip from her bottle and smiled.

"Oh my gosh, it's _her_!" Rachel hissed excitedly.

"It's just Whitney," Hallie joked. "You guys make it sound like she's some kind of celebrity."

"We know," Kim said, "and it's because she kind of is. Leah's been… really unhappy for a long time. We didn't think she'd ever find somebody, but then…"

Hallie frowned, not quite understanding what Kim was getting at. She guessed she wasn't that good at hiding her expression either, because when Kim looked at her, she started talking again.

"She's it for her," she explained. "Leah doesn't see anyone else in her future the way she sees your best friend. I know it sounds kind of intense, they haven't been together that long, and Leah definitely doesn't want to rush anything, but –"

"I get it," Hallie said. "I mean, I don't fully understand it, but I get most of it. I've never seen Whitney this happy, either."

Hallie couldn't say anything else, she didn't want to. If she continued, she knew what was on the tip of her tongue. She would say Whitney found her soulmate, the love of her life, and Hallie wasn't sure she was ready to admit that just yet. When she did, she saw her best friend embarking on a journey Hallie couldn't follow, because Leah would be taking her place. There would be marriages, maid of honor duties, new places to live with different people, and it was giving Hallie anxiety. It almost wasn't fair, they just moved in together, and it already felt like Whitney was about to leave her.

The two made their way closer to the group of guys first. Leah looked proud and wore a smile that looked a lot like Seth's as she introduced Whitney to them. Whitney smiled shyly at them all, trying so hard to make a good impression. She definitely wasn't good with crowds of new people, but the fact that she was trying this hard only proved Hallie's suspicions. This time, Hallie took a longer pull from her beer, earning a sideways look from Embry.

Leah then led Whitney over to Kim and Rachel, who were leaping up from the ground in order to hug her and Hallie couldn't help but think these girls might soon be the people Whitney could associate with on the daily, become her new best friends. Hallie almost wanted to leap up too and pull Whitney away, screaming " _MINE_!" like a banshee to every single person in the vicinity. To her credit, she didn't. Instead she coped by drinking more.

"I didn't realize you were such a hard core pre-gamer," Embry noted after he was introduced.

" _Hard core pre-gamer_ is my middle name," Hallie said.

"Need a second one?"

"Why?" Hallie asked, craning her neck around to throw Embry a challenging smile. "Are you trying to get me drunk?"

He smirked and stood up from his seat, making his way over to the cooler. "Maybe," he said. "Someone's gotta be my partner in crime tonight. You interested?"

Hallie hummed and drew out her response-time by taking another drink. "Depends on what all that entails –"

"Uh, Hall?" She jerked up at the sound of Whitney's voice and stood. Her best friend watched Hallie from Leah's side with a mixture of concern and maybe even a little annoyance. "We should probably get ready for the party."

Just then a phone went off, and Hallie turned back to find Embry pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Oh, geez," he muttered and stood up as well. "Guys, come on, we've been summoned. Brady's hit the twelfth hour."

He was met with groans from the rest of the men, but they slowly began to pack up their sparse belongings. Seth jogged around everyone to pick up the cooler just as two other guys swept in to pick up Kim and Rachel right off of the ground. They screamed out in surprise which quickly dissolved into laughter (Kim) and smacking the boys on their chests (Rachel).

"It's all right, buddy," Seth said as he hoisted the cooler up like Kim and Rachel's significant others held them. He planted a big, sloppy kiss on it. "You'll be my date tonight, won't you?" It made Hallie and a couple of others laugh.

"So you'll be coming to the party, right?" Embry asked. Hallie turned back around to look at him, then realized she had to look up. How tall were all of these guys, exactly? They were like small trees in the way they towered above her.

"Well, you do owe me that second drink…" Hallie mused. "I guess I could swing it."

"Hallie!" Whitney called, and Hallie rolled her eyes.

"I'll see you later, Embry," she said.

"What are you doing?" Whitney hissed once Hallie caught up with her. Leah had to hang back for a minute to talk to one of the guys, the oldest looking out of the group, and Seth was already halfway up the stairs leading to their house. How did he get there so fast? "You heard what Leah said about them –"

"Oh my God, relax, I was just talking to the guy, pointless flirting at most," Hallie sighed. "Trust me, nothing's going to happen between me and anyone at this party. Like I said, guys aren't even on my _list_ of priorities right now, and I still mean it."

They both gravitated toward the surf so the water could run over their feet as they walked. Muddy sand slid into Hallie's flip flops, and she paused to take them off. She could smile a little to herself as she felt the warmish sand between her toes with an almost-empty beer in hand. She took a moment to take in the perfect moment and down the rest of her beer. This was what her summer needed.

Whitney sighed and tugged on Hallie's arm to get her moving again. "I guess I know, but I want you to be happy with the right person. I don't want to see you get hurt anymore."

Hallie suddenly sobered up at that. "I'm not going to let that happen."

* * *

We're so close to the party now, you guys! Are we pumped, are we excited?! Don't be shy and let me know what you think! As always, thanks for the reviews, follows, and favs!


	8. Holy Shit, He is SO Screwed!

This chapter was an absolute _blast_ to write! I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it! Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favs!

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 **7\. "Holy Shit, He is SO Screwed!"**

It was around eight-thirty when the sun finally dipped just far enough under the horizon that it was starting to get dark. Party guests started filtering into the house. Embry just got the music up and running, and the bass began to vibrate through the floorboards. The tacky outdoor lights were turned on, and it ended up flooding the house and a good few feet around it in a hazy pinkish glow. Collin leaned on the railing outside, watching Brady and one of the newbie wolves (they'd phased just before the boss-vampires came to town) assemble a makeshift beer-pong table, swallowing down his fourth beer.

"This is awesome," Jared said as he walked out of the house, beer in one hand and Kim holding the other. "I don't know how you guys do it all the time, though."

"I think that's something I want to start changing," Collin admitted. "I'm getting tired of it."

"I never thought I'd see the day," Kim said, "that Collin Littlesea would say no to a party."

"Not no to a party, necessarily," Collin corrected himself. "Just no to hosting anymore of them. Sunday's going to suck."

The beer-pong table in front of them was finally amassed, about the length of a ping-pong table but much narrower. Collin watched more cars pull into their front yard and the passengers hop out, calling out to whichever wolf had invited them. All of their guests ranged in personality and age, from early thirties on down to eighteen, and all of them brought drinks.

"Hey, Collin!" A particularly nasally girl's voice cried out. He looked over at the stairs leading up to the house, finding a girl with dyed-black hair and huge boobs flouncing up to greet him. She grinned widely at him when she approached. "What's been up with you lately? Long time no talk!"

"Come on, Jared, you should take a Jell-O shot with me," Kim said, leading her fiancé away from Collin and back down to the lawn.

Collin didn't exactly remember this girl's name. It had to be Kelly or Michelle or something, she was one of Brady's regular partners. She looked like a typical small-town girl that tried so hard to look like she was from a big city. Her short, flat hair was always a different color, she wore mainstream designer clothes that always seemed to be a size too small and always had a bedazzled emblem placed somewhere provocative. Brady loved having her at parties because when she got drunk enough (which didn't take much at all), she got horny, which meant an easy night for Brady. She already looked a little tipsy as she struggled to balance herself and a twelve-pack of some fruity alcoholic drink.

"Oh hey," Collin said dumbly. "What've you been up to?"

"Nothing much," the girl said after a too-bubbly giggle. "Brady texted us saying there was a party, and we wouldn't miss one of your parties. Plus, I totally thought tonight would be the perfect way to introduce you to my best friend, Rachel, the girl I told you all about last time I was here!"

Rachel was a girl on the tall side with long maroon hair. She had curves, tanned skin (Collin wasn't sure if it was artificial or not), a heart shaped face filled with makeup, and he guessed he found that attractive. She didn't seem as obnoxious as her friend, so that was a plus.

"Nice to meet you," he said, sticking out his hand. "Collin Littlesea."

"Hi, I'm Rachel Ward," the girl said with a smile.

Okay, so maybe Brady sleeping around so much paid off for Collin. Sometimes.

 **. xXx .**

At eleven o'clock, the party had gone into full swing. All of the guests that would come were milling inside and outside of the house, playing beer-pong, talking and laughing. The house that was usually so quiet was filled with life. The music was louder than it had been before. People decided it would be a great idea to push the couches back and create a makeshift dancefloor. Now there were girls dancing and laughing and sloshing mixed drinks around. People started playing their own drinking games, mingled with the other guests, laughed. They were having a blast.

Collin's… he guessed ' _date_ ' was the best way to describe her, was getting tipsier with every drink. Rachel Ward only had four beers and her face was flushed. She laughed way too hard at anything Collin said, which only made other people laugh, and she would touch him any chance she could get. Collin thought she was shy, when in reality she was actually just as bold as her friend. It was obvious she was here for one thing by the end of the night, and Collin decided he wanted it too.

"So when are you gonna show me the rest of the house?" Rachel asked as she drank sloppily from a can.

Collin sat on one of the barstools at the island in his kitchen while Rachel continued standing, but she had herself stationed between his legs, her upper back leaning into his chest. She wore a perfume that smelled like cotton candy that was just a little too overwhelmingly sweet, but Collin tried not to mind it.

"Cozy?" Brady asked. He'd taken one of the stools next to Collin and stationed it in front of the island so they could sit across from each other. He set a bottle of whiskey between them, and shoved a shot glass in front of Collin.

"I was wondering where you ran off to," Collin said, attempting to unwind himself from Rachel's weight. After an awkward moment, she finally got the hint and straightened up, but still clung to his side like a... Well, never mind. It wasn't the best joke for a werewolf to make when he was trying to get lucky with this girl by the end of the night.

"Where's Ashley?" Rachel asked. Oh, her friend's name was Ashley.

"Taking Jell-O shots in the front yard," Brady said as he poured Collin and himself a shot. "You should go check on her."

"'Kay," Rachel said. Just before she flounced off though, she turned to Collin. "Wanna dance when I come back?"

"Sure," Collin lied. Brady looked the other way to hide his smile. When she left, Collin took the shot, savoring the burn slipping down the inside of his chest. "You think when she comes back she'll be too drunk to remember she asked me that?"

Brady took his shot too, and Collin took the bottle to pour two more shots between them. "Probably," he said. "Ashley's about to be too far gone."

"Bummer," Collin chuckled. "Unlucky night for you."

They both took their shots at the same time.

"I'll find a backup," Brady said. "At least I'm not Embry right now. He put all his stock into that roommate girl, but she's totally blown him off."

"Leah's imprint's roommate? Are they all here?"

"Yeah, they've just been outside playing beer-pong," Brady said. He poured a third shot for both of them.

"I guess I should go introduce myself, then," Collin said. "Is Whitney cool?"

"Yeah, she is," Brady replied. "Kinda quiet but I think once she starts drinking she'll be more fun. That roommate of hers on the other hand…"

Collin took his third shot, not liking the way Brady was laughing. He felt like he was on the outside of some joke. "What about her?"

"Well like I said, she totally blew off Embry. She's like a… there's a word for it, my grandpa used to say it all the time… She's a…"

"Bitch?" Collin offered, pouring a fourth round of shots.

"Kind of?" Brady said. "But that wasn't the word."

"Lovely," Collin rolled his eyes, and took the fourth shot. "Well you let me know when you come up with it."

He could finally feel the faint tingling sensation that came with becoming a little buzzed. It wasn't impossible for a shapeshifter to get drunk, but it did take a lot of work. Brady also seemed to feel it at the same time, and they both smiled at each other before Brady reached for the bottle.

That was pretty much when all the commotion started.

Collin barely heard it above the music. There was yelling, something toppling over, a few footsteps pounded through the house that hit the deck to see whatever must've been happening outside. In all honesty, it wasn't that bad. There obviously wasn't anything serious happening outside yet. They had time.

"Hey, it looks like somebody's about to get into a fight!" Some girl shouted at Brady, which only caused more people to crowd their deck outside.

Collin and Brady shared a look. One that said, ' _or not_.' Brady let out a frustrated groan and stood up. "It's your turn," he told Collin.

Collin rolled his eyes and straightened up as well, taking the bottle out of Brady's hands to take a pull. He thrust it back in his friend's hands and made his way outside.

He didn't realize how warm it had gotten inside the house until he walked out. The cool, fresh air was welcome on his too-hot skin. He pushed through the thickening crowds of people amassing on their porch, all trying to get the best view of the spectacle happening in the front yard.

"Come on, Hallie," Collin heard Leah tell someone. He couldn't exactly see what was happening yet, he was still trying to push out of the crowd. "It's not worth it, really –"

"Not. _Happening_ ," someone else said. And that someone else's _voice_ …

Collin had to stop and brace himself on one of the supporting posts sprouting up from the deck to the roof. The voice was like a blow to his chest, it almost knocked the wind out of him. It was a steady tenor, not too high or too low, but it may have edged on the lower side under stress. Collin heard it above every other sound, and if he wasn't already heading toward the scene, it would have forced him to. It was a command, as unbreakable and instinctual to follow as an alpha's orders. It rocked him so hard that it made his hands tremble and his knees shake. What the hell was wrong with him?

It was like fate had a hand in intervening. A cool breeze blew through the party, carrying that all-too familiar scent of _mountain air and juniper_ –

Collin shoved through the rest of the crowd, finally breaking out on the stairs at the very perimeter of the madness and he finally saw her.

His knees almost buckled underneath him. He had to grab onto the railing of the stairs to keep himself upright. Suddenly everything his packmates said made sense. When they saw _her_ , it felt like the world got pulled out from under them. Like there were deep, searing hot cables that lashed out and forced himself over to the will of a completely different person. He began to feel his entire body tremble, not from anger or like he was on the brink of a phase, but from fear. Pure, unadulterated fear.

She stood next to the beer-pong table that had somehow gotten flipped over, wearing denim shorts and a loose white tank top. It showed off her stunning figure, wiry and streamline and freckled and mouthwatering. She had long golden-blonde hair with dark roots, possibly a dye-job, but unlike the girl he'd spent a good portion of his evening with, it looked more natural. It was tied back in an intricate braid, revealing her small round face. She was glaring at some muscular guy twice her size with more ferocity and rage than he'd ever seen, only coming second to a newly phased wolf. She was _terrifying_.

And yet he was captivated. He didn't care what was going on, or that he was almost sitting on the stairs at this point because he didn't trust himself to stand, or the people watching the scene he was supposed to be stopping, or even the crazy meathead getting all up in her face. No, it didn't even matter when he heard Jared snicker, "Holy shit, he is _so_ screwed!" somewhere in the background.

All that mattered was this psychotic war queen standing only meters away, and how Collin absolutely _knew_ what this meant, like he knew he had to bite at a vampire's neck first to kill it, how he could easily search his packmates' minds without an ounce of effort, or how he always ended his patrols by circling the beach. It was his instincts, the ones that made him absolutely _him_ , and he was too scared to admit it, but this girl _just might_ (oh, who the hell was he kidding?) be part of it too.

Then the steroid-ridden meathead moved, hacked, and _spat_ directly past the girl, and right at Leah's feet. She was standing behind his juniper-and-mountain girl with some other girl at her side. "Fuck that," the guy said. "It just isn't natural."

The other girl next to Leah was trying her best to reach out for Collin's newest source of gravity, but it was too late. He saw the switch flip from terrifying to downright _murderous_ in this girl. He could only watch in awe as she wound back and swung forward with her right fist to smash the guy's face in. Half of Collin was absolutely mortified while the other half almost melted into a puddle of goo.

The crowd around him ' _oohed_ ' in amazement and cheered for her.

" _Hallie_!" The girl next to Leah screeched, which effectively knocked Collin out of his daze.

 _Hallie_. Her name was Hallie.

Well, he certainly hoped _Hallie_ was happy now. Most wolves never had to prove the lengths they would go through for their imprints (God, could she _really_ be it?), but this girl was about to find out firsthand.

"Collin!" Leah greeted in relief as soon as he shot in between Hallie and the muscly moron who was still stumbling backwards. He couldn't really focus on his best friend, though. Instead he began to turn around to face the girl who started the fight in the first place. He wanted to look into her eyes and make absolutely _damn certain_ that she was it. He had a sinking feeling she was.

" _Watch out_!" There was that voice again, calling to him like his own personal siren-song, but this time it held an official order. If he could have more rational thoughts, Collin would have been absolutely horrified at the way his body reacted, twisting around on its own-instinctual-accord as he caught sight of the meathead swinging right back around to fight back –

Collin reached up with superhuman reflexes, beyond caring about who saw or questioned it. He wanted to end this threat, protect this random girl at all costs, and figure out if she really was his own. Despite everything lining up and falling into place, from her scent to that unbreakable command she gave him, Collin still needed to be absolutely sure. And that wouldn't happen until he looked into this girl's eyes and got the truth for himself.

 _SMACK!_

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 _So_... What are we thinking? Good, bad, somewhere in between? Let me know how I did with the imprinting-scene! Hallie's POV of the party is coming up next!


	9. Yeah Well, She's With Me

**8\. "Yeah Well, She's With Me."**

Hallie watched Whitney fuss with her hair in the master bathroom mirror, fluffing it out and flattening it again, like she couldn't decide how she wanted to style it. Hallie had seen this internal battle every single time and knew exactly how it would play out. Whitney would try something new, hate it, then revert to her classic tousled waves. Tonight would be no different.

"Are you excited?" Hallie asked conversationally as she applied her makeup in the opposite vanity's mirror.

"Kind of?" Whitney said. "I think I'm more nervous. I'm about to meet Leah's _best friend_. That's, like, a ton of pressure."

Hallie liked that Whitney seemed to get over the bond Leah had with her best friend, Collin. Clearly things were said in the house while Hallie and Seth were at the beach that did a lot for them as a couple. Whitney never looked happier even as she struggled with her hair and makeup, but whatever she ended up doing, Hallie knew Whitney would always look stunning.

Hallie wished she had that problem. Instead, she lacked in basically everything pertaining to makeup. She knew clothes and haircare routines like nobody's business, but for the life of her she could not master a simple smoky eye. So she settled on the natural look (her only look), which consisted of small winged eyeliner (which usually took ten years to complete, so she only did it for special occasions), mascara, foundation, and a tinted lip balm. She looked like a plain little kid next to her best friend's feminine prowess.

Whitney was thin but had defined curves, and she made it work with a black halter top and a pair of high-rise denim shorts that would show off her killer legs. She matched it with a pair of sandals with dainty straps that made her still look like a model off duty. Maybe it was just her figure that pulled it off. Whatever it was made Whitney so freaking pretty and made Hallie feel so freaking inadequate.

She was in a pair of distressed denim shorts and a loose-fitting white tank top with a lacy maroon bralette underneath. Hallie didn't think it was practical to wear sandals to a house party, so she opted for white Converse. Knowing they were getting pressed for time, she simply styled her hair into a long fishtail braid.

"We look hot," Whitney said, glancing over at Hallie.

"You're going to knock Leah's socks off," Hallie replied.

"Good," Whitney replied. "That's what I'm going for."

Hallie glanced down at her phone charging near her makeup bag. She tapped on the screen to see if any new notifications were sent to her, but her screen remained perfectly blank. She sighed.

"Really, Hall?" Whitney accused. "It's Saturday night, there's no way in hell your editor's going to respond now."

"Yeah, but a girl can dream right?" Hallie asked. Since coming back from the beach and sending off the picture to her editor, Hallie was almost starting to look forward to writing her article on La Push. That beach view definitely sparked a sense of wanderlust in her, and she wanted to have a viable reason to come back that Whitney wouldn't make fun of her for... or get too excited and start forcing Hallie into other hiking trips. She may have had no idea what she was signing up for, but she hoped her editor would give her the chance to find out.

"Hallie, come on!" Whitney exclaimed. Hallie turned, finding her best friend pulling out her cell phone. "There are selfies that need to be taken."

Hallie was totally down for that.

 **. xXx .**

The ride to the party was a short one, Leah and Whitney bantered back and forth and Hallie sometimes joined in, but for the most part let her best friend bond with her… girlfriend. Hallie decided she didn't care what stage they were at when it came to labeling their relationship, she was tired of having to find creative things to call Leah like "friend" or "dating partner." For how committed Hallie knew they were, "girlfriend" made the most sense.

Seth wasn't even coming to the party, which definitely ensured Hallie's chances of feeling like an awkward third wheel through the entire evening. He said it had to do with his lack of interest in parties, and the fact that was getting too old for them, which made Hallie wonder how old Leah was in comparison. Wasn't she the older sister? They all looked around the same age as Whitney, but definitely older than Hallie. Maybe La Push made everyone pretty and let them age gracefully too. She decided to file away that question in the back of her mind and save it for a later date.

Besides, it wasn't all that important because they finally reached the house of the party. Hallie's brows shot up in surprise as she took it in. It looked like a mobile home set a little higher than average off the ground, wrapped up in a hundred different colored twinkle-lights which warped the color into something faintly pinkish. There were already a ton of people everywhere, outside playing games on the sprawling lawn, or inside dancing to pounding music Hallie could hear from their parking space.

"You guys ready?" Leah asked.

"Like I said," Hallie replied. "I only came here for one thing, and that's to get wasted. I'm more than ready."

When they reached the house, they were greeted by Kim and her fiancé Jared. Embry also managed to find them through the crowds, along with his roommate Brady. He was just as hot as Embry, which helped Hallie understand how these guys could be manwhores. She was sure it came easily for them. They decided they had a full group to play beer-pong, and Hallie declined Embry's offer of getting her that second drink. Whitney had been right, Hallie didn't need to flirt with temptation anymore.

Oddly enough, just when Hallie thought she'd sworn off trouble for the evening, even _more_ trouble seemed to find her.

 **. xXx .**

Embry and Brady left fairly quickly after the first game in order to mingle with the rest of their guests. When Brady, he promised to bring Collin out so Leah could finally introduce him to Whitney, saying he was "a little occupied" with a little too much innuendo for Hallie's liking. Gross. The party barely even started and this guy was already getting it on with someone?

So that left Leah, Whitney, and Hallie alone. They decided to stay outside and play more outdoor games spread out along the lawn, since the inside of the house was only getting more and more crowded. They joined Kim at a kiddie pool filled with ice and liquor and took a few Jell-O shots with her (Hallie did two while Leah and Whitney had one each), before they were waved down by some typical-looking gym rats. All muscle, all tank tops, all obnoxious, but all relatively harmless. They wanted to play beer-pong, but needed of a team to play against.

It started out just fine. Everyone was laughing and joking and the atmosphere stayed light. Both sides weren't doing very well, Hallie was getting a little more drunk with each drink, so she admitted to everyone that she needed to slow down. Then the game started to go by sluggishly, the two teams talking back and forth to each other and socializing more than actually playing.

Somehow, they'd gotten to the topic of Leah and Whitney's relationship, and that's where the trouble got worse.

One of the dudebros started making snide comments every chance he got, much to Hallie's increased annoyance. The guy's friends tried to apologize on his behalf, saying that he was too drunk, but he just _wouldn't stop_. So Hallie wouldn't either. Finally, the occasional ribbing turned into insults volleyed between Hallie and the random guy, who she'd dubbed as the Bigot. It finally escalated to the Bigot knocking over the beer-pong table in his fit of rage, and Hallie wasn't that far behind. Before she knew it, they were screaming in each other's faces.

"I don't care about you, the size of your micropenis, or whatever level you haven't reached yet evolutionary-wise," Hallie snarled, stepping up closer to the guy and making him take a step back. "But I do care that you insulted my friends, and they deserve more respect than that. They're still waiting on that apology."

"Come on, Hallie," Leah pleaded somewhere behind her. "It's not worth it, really –"

"Not. _Happening_ ," Hallie said, still glaring into the guy's face.

They stood there for an unfathomable second. Hallie felt her heart pounding with adrenaline. She could feel so many eyes on them, but she didn't care. All that mattered was what this guy's next move was going to be. They were both a little tipsy, the world spun around them, but Hallie knew she was still plenty coherent enough to fight well, if it came down to it.

The guy continued to stare at her, then slowly looked over at Hallie's best friend and her girlfriend. Then he _spat_ at them. "Fuck that. It just isn't natural."

Hallie. Saw. Red.

It came down to it.

It was almost like slow-motion. Before she knew it, her fist connected right into the malleable flesh and weak bone in the guy's jaw with a solid, well-practiced uppercut. Pain shot through her fist and down her arm, but she followed through like a champ and had her next hit already lined up. She was the smaller one, the weaker one in this fight, so she would take advantage of stunning the guy –

" _Hallie_!" Whitney shrieked. Everything came back into real-time then. Hallie felt Whitney's manicured nails digging into her arms as Whitney tried to haul her back, but Hallie was beyond stopping now. She tried to squirm out of her best friend's arms until someone else had jumped between her and the Bigot while Whitney tried to drag her away. It was some ridiculously tall guy (was she surprised? There was obviously something in the water around here) who blocked her view.

"Collin!" Leah exclaimed, sounding relieved. Hallie took a double-take at this new guy, even though she could only see him from the back.

He was lean like a soccer player, with broad shoulders and a trim waist that was enhanced by the simple gray T-shirt and shorts he wore. Further up, she saw jet black hair cut short on the sides and left longer on top, a trendy hairstyle she only saw incredibly attractive guys pull off well. He started to turn around and look at her, but Hallie's focus was around him. She saw the Bigot rear up and swing back with all of his might –

" _Watch out_!" Hallie snapped, struggling out of Whitney's arms to block it herself.

 _SMACK!_

But the new guy whipped back around just as Hallie broke out of Whitney's arms. He raised one hand and simply _caught the other guy's fist_. What the fuck? She only saw that in superhero movies.

"Back off," the new guy warned. He had a deep voice that sounded a little choppy, like he was breathless. When Hallie heard that voice, low and gravelly, she felt the fight go right out of her.

"Sorry, I uh… didn't see you…? Dude, who the fuck is this bitch?" The guy Hallie decked demanded. "She's fucking crazy, I should press charges –"

"If she didn't do it, I would've," the guy standing in between Hallie and the Bigot said. "I think you should leave."

"The hell?" The Bigot asked. "I didn't _do_ anything –"

"You insulted my best friend and her girlfriend," the guy replied. "You can stay if you want, but guessing by the looks of all the other people who also call them their best friends… it probably won't be the best idea."

"You've got to be kidding me, right?" The Bigot said. "She fucking _started_ _it_!"

"Yeah well, she's with me," the other guy said, "so I'm ending it. You can either leave, or deal with me instead."

After a few choice words directed at Hallie, the Bigot's friends finally swarmed in and puled the guy away, apologizing profusely to the guy, then Leah and Whitney, and then finally Hallie. They were smart enough to catch on that this new guy was in no mood to mess around. Hallie knew if she was on the receiving end of this new guy's threats, she'd be scared. As it was, she was already nervous to face her would-be savior, he sounded _pissed_.

The Bigot and his friends hauled into his rusted pickup and made the thing roar to life. They peeled away from the house, mud spurting everywhere from the tires. The guy standing in front of Hallie waited until the Bigot's headlights were finally fading into the distance, still not turning around. An awkward silence hung over the party.

"All right, guys! Show's over!" Embry shouted. His voice reverberated throughout the entire property. Hallie tracked him down, finding him on the steps leading up to the house. "Let's get this party started!"

Just then, the music started getting louder, which made everyone cheer. Everything slowly went back to normal.

"Sorry, Collin," Leah said, startling Hallie. She took a couple of steps backward as Leah walked forward. She was almost the same height as this new guy, who Hallie belatedly realized had to be _the_ Collin, Leah's best friend.

"No, I should be the one who's sorry," Hallie said. She slowly walked toward them, awkwardly fiddling with the hem on her top. "Not about punching the guy, he was a dick, but I _am_ sorry for causing a scene. I promise I'm not always like that. I'm Hallie Jessop, Whitney's embarrassment for the weekend –"

The guy turned around so fast it was scary. She flinched back, but wasn't able to go very far. A feverishly hot hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back while the other gripped her chin and tilted her head up. Her heart lurched up into her throat in surprise. The movements were all way too fast, she didn't even have time to say anything to stop him. Instead her hands folded helplessly against a hot chest and a soft shirt, and she only felt more heat surround her and cage her in. She tried to bow her body backwards to retain some semblance of personal space, but it wasn't much use. She finally looked up.

This guy who held her close was so stunning (and she wasn't one of those girls who described guys as _stunning_ by any stretch), he looked like he stepped right out of a magazine. He had an angular face and features that were all set into grim lines. He also had the darkest eyes, eyes Hallie knew were brown, but in the dim lighting they looked near-black. Their faces were so close she could see every detail, from the fullness of his lips to the widow's peak in his hair. She didn't know why, but he stared back at her like he found something amazing… and also like he was still looking for it.

Hallie's world shifted. She felt like something huge was happening that she couldn't quite understand. Hell, she had a feeling she didn't even _want_ to understand. All she knew was this guy was way too close to her, and that she'd never been more terrified of one singular moment than she ever had been in her entire life.

* * *

And there you have it! Hallie's version of what went down. What do you think of it? Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favs, guys!


	10. I Think I Should Go

**9\. "I Think I Should Go."**

Collin couldn't help himself. He really couldn't.

That girl with her _scent_ and her _voice_ did something to him that he just couldn't ignore. His body was still shaking at the sheer weight of what was going on around him. He was losing all control, and it was seriously freaking him out. He could hardly feel Leah's hand resting on his shoulder as she tried to get his attention, because his focus was on something else entirely.

"Not about punching the guy, he was a dick –" the girl went on with that _freaking_ _voice_ , completely unaware of the effect she had on him.

 _She couldn't be it, she couldn't be it, she couldn't be it_ , he chanted in his head. Other choice phrases rang out over and over again like church bells such as, _holy shit I'm not ready for this_ and, _Goddammit this isn't supposed to happen to me!_ and a few other curse words just to spice it up.

"– but I _am_ sorry for causing a scene. I promise I'm not always like that. I'm Hallie Jessop, Whitney's embarrassment for the weekend –"

He couldn't take it anymore.

He whirled around on the girl, arms snaking out just as she tried to take a small step back. He pulled her in close, that juniper-mountain-dryer-sheet smell washing through his senses. He used to think it took a lot of work for a shapeshifter to get drunk, but now he learned it was incredibly easy. All he had to do was get in this girl's personal space and he was done.

He wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders, holding her body steady as he reached out to hold her chin in between his thumb and index finger. Her face was so tiny, _she_ was so tiny, he knew her body would mold perfectly into his if he let her. He pulled her in even closer, and felt her hands rest on his chest, and Collin had to choke back a gasp (because there was no way anyone was going to hear him make such a pathetic noise). Holy shit, how did her touching him feel so damn _good_?

They were ridiculously close now, Collin's body bent forward when this girl dipped back. People could've mistaken it for something intimate (was it really a mistake, though?), but Collin didn't care. All he cared about was looking into this girl's eyes, and –

She looked up.

Collin's world cracked in half, and (for a second) he didn't even care.

Her small, freckled face held dainty features. A button upturned nose, delicate pouty lips that looked so damn kissable he had to mentally slap himself to continue scanning her features. Because her eyes were the real kicker. They were big and a gray and Collin could see everything in those eyes. And that was the harshest blow of all, Collin would have fallen to his knees if he wasn't supporting someone else. He shouldn't have looked into them, because now it was official: this girl was it. She was the one.

She was his imprint.

Collin Littlesea imprinted.

"Uh… Collin?" Leah's voice was the only thing that was able to bring him back. He quickly released the girl. He made sure she didn't fall back on her ass (he had been supporting most of her weight, after all), but he made sure he didn't have to touch her all the same, even though it was kind of killing him. He still couldn't take his eyes off of her, either.

"Sorry," he said quickly, trying to make up some excuse. "I, uh, wasn't sure if the guy punched you and just wanted to make sure."

"I'm fine," the girl replied. She dug the toe of one of her shoes into the ground and picked awkwardly at a loose hem at the bottom of her tank top. She was staring at the ground.

Collin knew right then he couldn't accept this girl. She was everything he wasn't, small and delicate with manicured nails and perfect hair and makeup. She looked like one of those indie rocker girls, secretly his type, but so out of his league. She couldn't be with him, and he couldn't be with her. She wasn't strong enough, she wouldn't be able to handle his life.

"Okay," Leah breathed out a sigh of relief, but when he finally looked at her, she pinned him with a look that meant she knew exactly what was going on. How could she not? "Collin, this is my girlfriend Whitney Eddison."

Collin quickly looked away from the other girl, focusing on the one standing next to Leah. She was just as striking as her roommate, but in a different way. Different like she definitely _didn't_ have his heart constricted by steel cables. She was also tall, had shorter hair, and wore a little more makeup. She offered a small smile at him and reached out to shake his hand. Nope, the touch wasn't even the same, and Collin could make these comparisons all day, but it would still come to the same result.

"Nice to meet you, Collin," Whitney said politely. "Leah talks about you all the time, it's nice to finally put a face to the name."

"I can say the same about you," Collin replied, totally proud of his eloquence even though his tongue felt like lead in his mouth.

"And this is her roommate, Hallie Jessop," Leah moved on, giving Collin the introduction he didn't know he needed. "Hallie, this is my best friend, Collin Littlesea."

Hallie Jessop. Of course her name would have to be adorable too, in a quirky kind of way. Hallie _Littlesea_ sounded even better, though –

Their eyes finally met again, and Collin could hardly stand the doe-like look she gave him. Nope, this totally wouldn't work. It couldn't. She was _so not_ his type, it wasn't even funny. She was a city girl, he was always and forever going to be bound to his small town. She would go back to Seattle tomorrow and totally forget about him, and Collin wouldn't be the same.

"Nice to meet you as well," Collin said, unable to keep the bitterness out of his tone. "If only it were under better circumstances."

Like her not being his freaking _imprint_. That would make circumstances a hell of a lot better.

Hallie's flat gray eyes flashed with something Collin didn't see coming. And then she just had to open her damn mouth. "Nice to meet you too then, I guess," she replied. "Sorry you had to swoop in there, but I could've handled it."

What? She obviously misunderstood where Collin's frustration was coming from, but the fact that she thought she could handle a weight-lifting gorilla on her own was damn-near laughable. It riled something up in Collin that never really surfaced before. She had it _handled_? How could this girl, _his imprint_ , think that she could handle things like that on her own? He was her protector, if anything _he_ had it handled! Shouldn't she be relying on him with these kinds of things?

He knew they just met, but whenever he talked to the pack's other imprintees, he always got this underlying sentiment that they instinctively trusted their wolves even after they just met. That they felt protected. Shouldn't this girl be the same way, especially since she was totally wrong in thinking she could beat up a guy twice her size? Shouldn't she be more, he didn't know, _grateful_ that he was there?

" _Handle it_?" Collin asked. "Didn't anybody ever tell you to pick on someone your own size? Sure, you may have gotten the first punch, but that doesn't mean you'd end it. You're welcome that I stepped in when I did."

"Oh, so I should be _thanking_ you now?" This girl, this little pixie-looking brat, spoke with more venom than Collin expected. Maybe he should have, though, if she was willing to get into a physical fight with someone. Of course she'd have an attitude. _Of course_. "Thanking you for what, exactly? Getting in my way?"

Collin's brows shot up. What in the actual hell? Not only did he have to imprint on someone completely wrong for him, but she also had to be a maniac too? He cursed the spirits for this one. He was obviously the butt of some epic cosmic joke.

Hallie's expression remained firm. She glared right back at him, but at least it didn't hold the same amount of fury as it did when she was looking at the other guy. Then she said something Collin wasn't expecting (honestly, he should start expecting the unexpected to come out of her mouth now, it was like playing a game of verbal Russian roulette):

"I think I should go."

Part of Collin recoiled at this idea. _Go_? What did she mean _go_? She just got here, they just met! Now they could really get this party started! How could she want to leave already? Did she not feel the same crippling need as him? Was this really going to be Collin's life?

But then there was also the relief. Good. Maybe she should leave and cut their first and only encounter short. She would leave thinking of Collin as an asshole, and he would regard her as a raging bitch. Then they would go back to their own _separate_ lives. A perfect parting of ways.

"Yeah, I think there's been enough drama for tonight," Whitney agreed after having a quiet conversation with Leah. She walked forward, quickly winding her arm through Hallie's and dragging her away. Collin felt the separation like someone splashed cold water in his face. It woke him up, made him realize she was _actually leaving_.

"Well, wait," Collin said, not exactly sure what was overcoming him. "Why don't we, um, get out of here? There's a diner open twenty-four hours near here, we could get something to eat –"

"Collin!" A small weight attached itself to Collin's side. He looked down, finding maroon-haired Rachel clinging onto him like a barnacle. "You were _so amazing_ earlier! The way you told that guy... It was totally hot."

He stared at her in shock, then looked at Hallie. She looked a little surprised at the scene, scanning over Rachel's tipsy, wobbly form before her face suddenly got dark again. It could have broken his heart. She narrowed her eyes and grabbed her friend's arm before making a bee-line for Leah's RAV4. He faintly heard her mutter things to Whitney like, "unbelievable" and, "easy score." Collin never felt guiltier, even though he didn't do anything wrong in the first place.

"So," Rachel bobbed next to him. "We gonna dance and then tour, or tour and then dance –"

"Get Embry to show you the house," Collin said. His words effectively sent Rachel backpedaling. She glared at him for a few short seconds before she straightened out her shirt (which conveniently showed off more of her cleavage) and walked away. She also muttered crap on her way back to the house that sounded like, "asshole." Well, she wouldn't be too far off the mark.

Collin could hardly stifle the growl bubbling up in the back of his throat. This was such bullshit, he was having a great time until _Hallie Jessop_ decided to ruin his life.

"Collin," Leah said, her voice soft and... surprised. Like she was in awe or something. He looked over at her as she slowly approached, once again resting a hand on his shoulder. What was up with all of the shoulder touching? That's when he realized she was doing it to ground him. He was shaking. He hadn't noticed it before until now. "Did you…?"

He shrugged out from her touch and looked away. "I've got to go."

Before she could say anything else, Collin made his way toward the forest and phased. He tore off running through the undergrowth and past the trees. He needed to talk to Sam.

 **. xXx .**

Collin felt like he'd set a new personal record for reaching the humble cottage home Sam and Emily shared, along with their two-year-old son. All of their lights were off, and everything in the house was near-silent. He could pick up that they were fast asleep with his acute hearing, but he wasn't about to let that stop him.

He tried to yip as quietly as he could so he wouldn't wake their son, but still loud enough to get Sam's attention. He knew it was late, but he figured Sam would help him out just this once without getting too mad. Collin adjusted to wolf-life relatively well, he didn't really need to ask Sam a lot of questions. But this was one instance where it couldn't wait. Collin needed his alpha and his guidance, what time he got it was an unnecessary detail. For him, at least.

He yipped again, and was rewarded with a light in the master bedroom flicking on. When he saw Sam's form block out most of the light in the window, Collin slowly walked out from the treeline. It was pitch-black outside, but he knew Sam would still be able to see him. He was right when the light turned off, and the front door opened only a few short seconds later. Sam walked out of the house slowly, wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants. As he stepped off of his porch, he stripped them off and hung them over the railing, then made his way closer to Collin. Once he was in the middle of his yard, Sam slowly shifted from human to giant black wolf.

 _Sam, I'm really sorry to bug you like this_ , Collin started off. He loped up to Sam in order to meet him halfway, sifting through his semi-sleepy thoughts to make sure he wasn't too mad. _It's just – I'm just – I… Please, I really need your help._

Luckily, he wasn't mad. Sam's thoughts became more lucid when he picked up on Collin's stress. Was there something wrong with the pack, the boundaries, did someone get hurt at the party, did someone phase –

Collin dropped the careful mental guard he usually kept up in order to show Sam what he was feeling. It was like breaking a dam, Collin could tell Sam wasn't used to all of this new information being thrown at him, especially for it being so late at night when he only just woke up, and _especially_ because it was coming from Collin of all people.

Collin showed Sam everything. From the weird scent that drove him crazy at the diner, to _seeing_ Hallie Jessop for the first time, to all of his fears and doubts of not being able to live up to her expectations and how life as he knew it was ending and how different she was and –

 _Collin, stop_ , Sam ordered. It wasn't an alpha order, but it helped slice through Collin's overanxious onslaught. He tried to reel it all back in, but it was impossible. Hallie's face danced in the back of his mind from her glares to the surprised look she had when they first officially laid eyes on each other.

 _I don't know what to do, Sam_ , Collin said. _She can't be with me, I won't accept her. I need to know how to reject the imprint. I don't care what it means –_

 _You can't just send the bond away_ , Sam said, _that's not how it works. Rejecting the bond will only hurt both of you. You don't have to marry the girl right now, just take your time with it and you'll see –_

 _I don't want an imprint, Sam! She isn't right for me, and I'm not right for her!_

Sam flattened his ears and shook his head. _She's your_ mate _, Collin. You've imprinted whether you want it or not, so you might as well get used to the idea that it isn't just you anymore._

Collin snarled at nothing, hating himself and this girl for ruining everything he had going for him. He was perfectly content with his life, why did she have to change it? And change it she would, Collin had no doubt about that.

In fact, he already felt a sharp pull in his chest, one that Sam recognized and showed Collin. It was a need to be with his mate, his one true half. Collin hated it as much as he needed to follow it.

 _I can't do this._

* * *

Oh dear, poor Collin. He doesn't even know what hit him, and he certainly hasn't seen anything yet.

So... what are we thinking so far? Let me know! Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favs so far!


	11. Fuck that Guy

Sorry for the delay! I'll try to come up with a solid update schedule so nobody's left hanging, especially me. I'm starting to really get into writing this story, I can't wait to plan out what happens next!

In the meantime, thanks for your follows, favs, and reviews!

And also, speaking of reviews, I've been having issues with an anonymous reviewer. I'm not exactly sure what the problem is, either this person's computer has been hacked or they simply have too much time on their hands, but I've gotten some pretty bizarre and long reviews on my story. I've had this problem since chapter one, so I took to simply removing the reviews, but since it's so persistent and I don't really have time to worry about it, I'm just letting them be. Of course, if the reviews disturb anyone, feel free to let me know and I will delete them ASAP. This is going to be the first and last time I mention it, since I hate writing author's notes.

Let's continue our regularly scheduled programming!

* * *

 **10\. "Fuck that Guy."**

"What the hell were you _thinking_?" Whitney practically screeched at Hallie as they drove back to Seth's house. "Do you remember how _old_ we are? We can't just start random fights anymore! Even if they're assholes, you don't just go around _punching people_!"

Hallie rolled her eyes and glared out the window in the backseat, trying her best to tune Whitney out. She was sobering up and already regretting what she did, but at the same time she didn't. When she thought back on it, the uncomfortable twisting in her stomach didn't come from the almost-fight, but it came from seeing Leah's best friend with another girl hanging off of him like a damn Christmas tree ornament. Especially after she saw how hot he was, and how he held her, and how he freaking _stared_ at her, and how he tried to ask them all out to a late-dinner-slash-early-breakfast, and _especially_ how Hallie really wanted to take him up on that offer.

"I thought it was kind of funny," Leah admitted.

"Don't – Don't you _start_!" Whitney sputtered at her before whirling on her best friend again. "Oh my God, this is so embarrassing! _Hallie_! Are you even okay? Does your hand hurt at _all_ –?"

"I'm fine, honest," Hallie said. "Look, Whit, I love you, but you're not my mom. I don't need you lecturing me. That guy was a jerk, and he got what was coming to him. I handled myself the way I thought I needed to. Besides, nothing even happened, Leah's friend –"

"Yeah, Hall, _Leah's friend_ ," Whitney retorted. "The only thing standing in between you and getting absolutely _creamed_ by that guy was Collin. If he wasn't there, could you even imagine what would have happened to you?"

"Fuck that guy," Hallie snapped. "I could've handled it on my own. You know I don't start things unless I know I can finish them."

Whitney waved her hands in the air and dropped them into her lap. "Oh my God, you're crazy," she said. "You're _insane_! I just – I can't believe you would – especially when you knew how much this meant to me!"

Hallie continued to glare out of the window. She would bide her time and talk to Whitney when Leah wasn't around. Hallie had already done enough to put a strain on their evening. All she wanted to do right now was go to sleep, wake up, and go home so she could put this weekend behind her and hopefully never come back again.

"It's honestly not that big of a deal," Leah promised. "Stuff like that happens at those parties all the time, the guys are used to it."

" _Still_ ," Whitney huffed, but the response seemed to mollify her.

"Still nothing," Leah said. She reached across their seats to squeeze Whitney's knee. "Don't even worry about it. As a matter of fact, Collin and I were talking about all of us going out for breakfast tomorrow anyway. It's not like this is the last time you'll ever see him."

"Really?" Whitney and Hallie said (unnervingly) at the same time, but both responses sounded incredibly different. Whitney was hopeful, while Hallie couldn't believe what she'd heard.

She couldn't wait until they could go back to Seattle.

 **. xXx .**

Hallie wanted to sleep, really. It was almost three o'clock in the morning, but she just couldn't wind down.

She was bunked in one of the two empty guest rooms in the house, while Whitney and Leah were in the second room next to hers. Seth had long-since been passed out before they even got home (at least she assumed he was, his truck was in the driveway and he didn't greet them when they got to the house). The entire house was silent, she couldn't remember silence like this since she moved to the city. Sure, there was the random croak of a frog somewhere in the distance, but that was disturbingly it.

She tossed again underneath the puffy covers so she could look out the window next to her bed. She had the blinds open so she could see outside the front of the house. A streetlamp and a couple of quiet houses was her view. She pulled the covers up over her nose and glared at it.

Then Hallie's phone _pinged_. She reached out to take it off the nightstand, her brows shooting up in surprise when she saw it was an email from her editor. What the hell? Did she not sleep either?

 _GORGEOUS! This is what I'm talking about! Yeah, screw Forks and focus on La Push. Start this project ASAP. As always, copy all of your expenses accrued and send them to Marcus via email. Excellent thinking, Hallie, can't wait to see the results._

Hallie could have flung her phone across the room, except it was way too expensive and she couldn't afford another one if she did. So she settled on setting it gently on the nightstand next to her and fisted her hands in her blankets as she glared even harder at the streetlamp outside. It was like the whole world was plotting against her. She'd been so excited to go back to Seattle, only for her job to send her right back. She guessed that meant she needed to start looking for a hotel.

She decided since she couldn't sleep, she'd get ahead of the game and start now. She slowly reached back to grab her phone and started looking up places to stay that were pet friendly.

This was going to be a long night.

 **. xXx .**

It totally had been.

Hallie finally passed out at five-thirty with several pretty good rental options for her week-long stay in La Push, feeling pretty proud of herself. However, waking up three hours later to a very uncharacteristically-chipper-morning-person named Whitney made Hallie feel significantly less excited than she was last night. She slowly woke up, and was even slower when packing her meager belongings, showering, and getting ready for the trip home. She longed for Seattle and their apartment, she missed waking up to Rebel _woofing_ at her.

She changed into the pair of denim shorts she wore last night and an oversized long-sleeved T-shirt. She put her hair back in a ponytail and looped it through a baseball cap. She slipped her feet into the trusty flip flops she wore on her way to La Push, looking as put together as she felt.

"You look like shit," Whitney informed her, looking fresh-faced wearing a pair of black leggings and a cropped flowy tank top. Half of her hair was pulled up into a stylish top-knot, and Hallie kind of hated her best friend for, like, point-two seconds. "Hungover?"

"No, I just couldn't sleep," Hallie replied, "so I'm tired. That's a good thing, it'll keep me on my best behavior."

Whitney sighed. "I'm sorry about last night. I think you just scared me more than anything. You shouldn't have hit that guy just because of something he said."

"He was an asshole, Whit. I wasn't going to let him talk to you guys that way."

They made their way out of the house, tossing their overnight bags into the trunk of Leah's RAV4. No one was outside (of course not, Hallie was beginning to wonder if people actually lived in this neighborhood) on the misty gray morning, and the neighborhood was perfectly silent (another usual occurrence). Whitney was frowning at Hallie.

"Not everybody gets it yet, Hall," she said. "It's going to take time, there are going to be more people like the guy we dealt with last night, and you're not going to be able to punch all of them."

"I can try," Hallie smirked, but it dropped when she saw Whitney wasn't smiling back. "Look, I know, I really do. I know about all the other people in the world who don't get it and may never understand, but that doesn't mean I'm going to sit back and watch somebody disrespect you or Leah. That's not who I am and you know it. I promise I won't try to let it go that far again, but I swear to God, if somebody tries to spit at you the way that guy did, my fist is still going in their face."

Whitney finally busted out laughing. "Okay, okay," she said as she gave Hallie a playful shove. "Fine. I should've known what I was signing up for when I became best friends with a psycho."

"Hey, you used to be pretty excited about it when we first met," Hallie said. "Don't start complaining now."

"I don't think I have much of a reason to," Whitney smiled.

 **. xXx .**

The fifteen-minute drive back to the diner they stopped at on the way to La Push was a peaceful one. Nobody really said anything, Leah and Whitney held hands the entire time, and Hallie busied herself by sending emails to all of the little cabins she searched for last night. Whichever one had the earliest availability would be her choice. And she yawned. She yawned a lot.

Hallie had been so wrapped up in her phone that she didn't even realize they reached the diner until Leah pulled into a parking space. Hallie perked up just after she closed her running applications and opened her door. She yawned again, trying to wake herself up, hoping the hokey little green and yellow diner had coffee. She trudged behind Whitney and Leah, glancing down at her phone when she thought she heard a notification as they walked inside, but she didn't have that kind of luck.

The diner's AC was on full-blast, making goosebumps erupt along Hallie's bare legs. She looked up when she heard loud scraping noises, finding four russet-skinned men pushing together empty tables in the middle of the diner, with Kim sitting contentedly in the middle. Hallie couldn't get over the size of these guys, they just dwarfed everything around them. But they moved with such… dexterity? They easily wove around chairs and each other, working in perfect synchronization to put together one long table for them all to sit at. Hallie didn't get it, most of the tall people she knew (i.e. Whitney) were a little on the clumsy side, like they didn't know how big they were. These guys seemed to have it figured out.

They all looked up as soon as the door closed, grinning and greeting them like they already had six cups of coffee, except for two of them. The final two she decided she could roll with, until she recognized them. One was Embry, who she was okay with, but the other guy…

He looked up and met her blatant stare after setting a chair down next to Kim. He didn't exactly glare at her, but he did give her a look that let Hallie know she definitely wasn't his favorite person. Fine by her. He wasn't exactly number one in her book, either.

Collin Littlesea looked about as great as Hallie felt. He had dark circles under his eyes like he hadn't gotten much sleep either, the dark eyes Hallie first noticed about him were expressionless. His short black hair wasn't gelled or styled and it stuck up at funny angles, like he just woke up and didn't even have time to bother with it. He wore a pair of Adidas soccer pants and a white T-shirt, once again showing off his perfect physique, but it wasn't like Hallie was checking him out or anything. Nope. No way.

"Uh… Hall?" Whitney tapped Hallie on the shoulder, making her jump. She finally looked away, not missing the cocky half-smirk he had on his face. Jerk. "Sit next to me?"

As if Hallie was going to sit anywhere else.

Whitney chose the seat across from Kim, and Hallie took her left side and Leah sat on her right. Everyone else began to sit down as well, Hallie narrowing her eyes suspiciously as she watched Collin sit down in the seat across from Leah. His eyes were downcast, focused on the menu while Leah looked like she was trying to burn a hole through his head using her mind.

Another huge muscly guy sat in front of Hallie, who she belatedly recognized to be Kim's fiancé Jared, giving her a bright smile before scooting closer to Kim and wrapping his arm over her shoulders. Embry sat next to Jared, which left an open seat next to Hallie, which Brady then occupied.

"Good morning, Hallie," he greeted her cheerily. She glanced back down at the other end of the table, finding Collin's attention on his roommate. "How are you doing this morning? Did you sleep well?"

"Uh, yeah," Hallie replied, reaching to pick up her menu. "How was the rest of the party?"

"Oh it was awesome," Brady replied, and Hallie wondered how he had the audacity to be this chipper in the morning. "You should have stayed, that guy was a dick. You didn't have to leave because of him."

A waitress swung by their table and collected drink orders. Hallie ordered a coffee, _black_ , while Brady chirped that he'd _love_ some orange juice. This made their young waitress blush and scurry off, clearly in a rush to get his drink back out in a timely manner. Hallie would've made fun of the girl if she was in a better mood, but settled on rolling her eyes at the girl's expense.

"You should come back again," Brady continued. "I know we'd be happy to have you. Right, Coll?"

Collin narrowed his eyes at Brady and glanced at Hallie before looking back at his menu. "If she wants to, sure," he said. Hallie gripped her menu a little tighter in her fingers. She didn't know what it was with this guy, but it was like every word that came out of his mouth pissed her off. She went back to searching through breakfast choices.

"I think I've done enough damage for one weekend," she admitted.

"Hey, seeing girls punch guys is the highlight to any party, especially when they punch like you," Brady said. "Where'd you learn how to fight like that?"

"When I was younger, my dad signed me up for karate classes," Hallie replied, turning the page of the menu. Wow, how many variations did people need of waffles? "When I got older, I moved on to MMA."

She carefully left out the reason her dad signed her up for karate classes was because she'd gotten into a fight in elementary school. It resulted in a bloody nose, and her dad informing her that if Hallie wanted to fight, she needed to learn how to do it right. Her dad also learned right away that Hallie may have had a long fuse, but when someone took her crayons it was game over.

"That's so cool!" Brady said. He didn't say much else, because two waitresses came out with all of their drink orders. Hallie felt it was nothing short of divine intervention when they placed her coffee in front of her. She sighed in relief and pulled cup to her lips, stopping just as she watched Brady continue to shamelessly flirt with the waitress.

"Does that really work on all the girls?" Hallie asked, smirking into her mug after the girl left.

"Pretty much," Brady said with a sunny grin. "Wanna test it?"

Hallie burst out laughing at him, and both startled when they heard something clatter a little too loudly further down the table. Hallie turned around, finding Collin looking down at his once white shirt, now covered with a steaming brown stain from the mug of coffee he dropped.

"Collin?" Leah asked worriedly.

"Let me wash this off." The words were terse and just as gravelly as they were last night. "Just order something for me in case the waitress comes back before I do. I don't care what it is."

Hallie stared at Collin as he stood up and stiffly made his way toward the back of the diner. Hallie couldn't help but wonder how Leah was best friends with such a moody asshole. Was it really _that_ small of a town? Were nice people _really_ such a rarity?

The whole table lapsed into an awkward silence after he left.

"He's uh…" Leah started off weakly. "He's been having a rough week."

Whitney looked back down at her menu and tried to pretend the situation didn't exist. The rest of the party seemed to do much of the same, Jared started talking to Kim as they tried to decide what they wanted for breakfast in hushed tones. Embry drank his coffee while Brady started playing on his phone. Leah looked like she was fighting between staying in her seat to comfort a confused Whitney and going after Collin, and Hallie pretended to tighten her ponytail.

"So, what's good here?" Hallie asked.

It was a weak line, but everybody latched onto it. In no time, their table bustled about the subject, their suggestions ranging from steak and eggs to the yogurt parfaits. Hallie decided to go with an aforementioned blueberry oatmeal crumble parfait, and everyone slowly eased into different topics. The waitress came, collected their orders, and went. Everything finally went back to normal.

And then Collin came back.


	12. Just Call Me Special

**11.) "Just Call Me Special."**

Collin should have known this was going to be a mistake.

He should have realized it as soon as his roommates asked him if he was coming to breakfast this morning (to which he said no and then rethought his options when Brady offered to buy), as soon as he got Leah's text "just making sure" he was "okay" and "Whitney is excited to make a better second impression." That made him cave.

So twenty minutes later he found himself in the diner on the border of Forks and La Push. He followed through the motions of lining up tables to accommodate all of his friends, ignoring the snide comments from his packmates pointing out that he looked like shit.

Well, it wasn't exactly his fault that he didn't get that much sleep. He didn't leave Sam's place until three in the morning and trying to sleep after processing all of his alpha's advice was near-impossible. How could you sleep when you found your soulmate and she was, like, five minutes away? Then there was also that beyond-uncomfortable pull in his chest that slowly ( _very_ slowly) felt a little worse with every hour. In this one instance, Collin could totally put the blame of his current situation on somebody. That lucky winner just happened to be Hallie Jessop, the girl with her face glued to an expensive-looking phone screen as she trailed into the diner behind Whitney and Leah.

Collin quickly looked away, even though a small part of himself would've preferred to keep staring. He'd noticed her tiny tan legs fully exposed while the rest of her frame was swallowed up by a massive long sleeved shirt, but that was pretty much it.

He felt eyes boring into him when he set down a final chair next to Kim. He knew exactly who they belonged to, and thought that was kind of weird. Instead of ignoring it, like his rational side told him to, he looked up and stared right back at Hallie Jessop.

She looked just as rough as he did, though she did pull off the whole "I woke up like this" look a lot better. She was in ripped denim shorts, a white long sleeved Patagonia tee (so he guessed she wasn't an indie girl after all, instead a sorority girl, only furthering that they were not compatible _at all_ ), chunky flip flops, and her hair in a messy ponytail underneath a faded Nike cap. He was sure the entire ensemble costed about half his rent, which meant she had to come from money. Crap. Maybe that was why she was such a brat.

She stared back at him with her lips drawn in a thin line. Her eyes were cold and calculating, they flickered over him like he was something to be assessed and measured. He didn't like it, that was for sure, and that was probably because he knew _she_ knew he didn't add up. She looked too smart for her own good. She looked ethereal and undefinable, someone Collin could never understand. How could the spirits do this to him? This girl was just not attainable to someone like him.

Leah's imprint pulled her away, making the other girl startle. He guessed they'd been staring at each other for a good minute (honestly, he would never keep track of the time lost looking at her) because when she looked away he noticed a pinkish tinge on her cheeks. What was that? A _blush_? Could it be the psychotic maniac was actually a little bit _human_? Collin smirked at that.

They sat down at the table, Collin across from Leah. His imprint sat a perfect yet torturous two seats away next to Brady, who seemed to have more of an interest in her than last night. Collin looked away and ended up meeting an intense expression from Leah. He could see it in her face: she had her suspicions but didn't know for sure, she wanted answers, and Collin couldn't decide if he wanted to tell her or not. So he opted for staring at his menu instead of talking to anyone else.

Everyone chattered around him. They obviously didn't notice his change in demeanor (honestly, it probably wasn't that big of a change) and Collin used it to his advantage. He pretended to be engrossed in the breakfast options. He had to pick the right waffle combo, after all.

"You should come back again," Brady was telling Hallie, and Collin wanted to leap up and tell Brady she definitely _shouldn't_. "I know we'd be happy to have you. Right, Coll?"

Collin looked up, no longer pretending that he wasn't eavesdropping. He glared at Brady before glancing back at Hallie. She was staring at him with that same analytical look, and he hated it. "If she wants to, sure," he replied, pretending that he didn't care either way, and looked back at his menu.

"I think I've done enough damage for one weekend," she admitted.

That was an understatement.

"Hey, seeing girls punch guys is the highlight of any party, especially when they punch like you," Brady said. "Where'd you learn how to fight like that?"

"When I was younger, my dad signed me up for karate classes," Hallie replied, turning the page of the menu. "When I got older, I moved on to MMA."

Secretly, Collin thought that was crazy awesome, and maybe a little crazy hot. His imprint was a badass! She could fight, she could protect herself, maybe she could fit into his world –

He felt a nervous lurch in his stomach at the thought, slowly losing his appetite. No. She couldn't fit into his world. This was as close as he would let her get. It almost made him sick to think he'd been trying to pick up on anything and everything that could hint at why they were meant to be together. Then there was also the fact that Brady spewed his typical pickup lines at Hallie. He was so fucking _obvious_ it grated on Collin's nerves. And then there was Hallie, who looked totally savvy to Brady's ways and didn't seem to mind he was hitting on her at all. For the first time in a while, Collin felt his breathing grow a little more shallow, his skin get a little hotter, and his normally 'sunny' disposition get a little darker.

This girl was going to make him phase and tear Brady a new one if they didn't stop.

He was so focused on listening to the rest of their conversation he didn't even realize he'd ordered a coffee until it was set down in front of him. He picked it up and started drinking it and finally noticed Leah _still_ staring at him like he was growing a second head. He glared right back at her, daring her to ask what he knew had to be on the tip of her tongue. They just always had that easy understanding between them, they hardly ever needed words to know what the other was thinking.

"Does that really work on all the girls?" Hallie asked disbelievingly as Brady chatted up a waitress dropping off their drinks. Clearly he was trying to work an angle with Hallie, Collin had seen it hundreds of times. Some of the smarter girls usually asked that exact same question. He knew what was coming next.

"Pretty much!" Brady replied. "Wanna test it?"

The slight tremor in Collin's hands turned a lot more violent. And then he heard Hallie laugh, and it was the most stunning sound he'd heard in his entire life. It was beautiful and charming and plucked at all of Collin's heartstrings and made him hate her and fall in love with her just a little more. But then it also broke him, because he wasn't the one making her laugh. The mug slipped out of his hands, spilled scalding hot coffee that he didn't feel down his chest, and shattered on the cold tile floor.

The entire diner went into an abrupt silence to stare at him.

But Collin hardly noticed. He was beginning to feel the beginnings of an unwarranted phase coming on. He needed to leave. Now.

"Collin?" Leah asked, but he was already out of his seat and making his way toward the restrooms in the back of the diner. He quickly muttered something about washing off the stain on his shirt and that they could order something for him when the waitress would come back. He needed as much time as he could get to calm down. He was _not_ going to phase in a freaking diner.

He shot into the men's restroom, a singular room he could lock behind him. His body was shaking now, he could feel the air vibrating around him. He stumbled toward the tiny sink and twisted the knob marked in blue. He ducked his face under the faucet and drenched himself in the water even though he hardly felt it. He needed to cool down. He needed to _stop_.

He could feel the wolf inside him saying otherwise, though. Well, it was more like _roaring_ otherwise. It told Collin he needed to march right back into that diner and beat the shit out of Brady. It told Collin to give into the imprint and claim his rightful mate. The pull on his chest constricted to the point where it was nearly suffocating him. He couldn't breathe, he felt sweat beading on his forehead and he wanted to scream. How did this equate to _love_ for all of his packmates? This felt like hell.

Collin gasped for air and fought for control. He splashed his face over and over again with water, and he slowly began to feel its temperature. He needed to get it together. This could not be his life. It couldn't.

But Sam's words were slowly ringing true in his head. _You've imprinted whether you want it or not, so you might as well get used to the idea that it isn't just you anymore._

Well, maybe they were true, but Collin could still try. He knew it was a feeble attempt, like trying to patch together a quilt with tin foil instead of thread, but he didn't have much else work with. It would have to be enough.

So he straightened up, tried to ignore the niggling sensation that something wasn't right in the back of his mind (because he now knew what that something was) and tried to clean himself up. Of course, wearing a white shirt, he was doomed. He idly wondered if this situation was supposed to be symbolic. That the coffee stain was like an imprint on his crumpled white shirt of a life, something that only made things worse.

Collin gave up on the massive stain and his musings, knowing his friends either wouldn't care or would try to offer him a jacket to cover it up and tell him he was a moron. He walked back out of the bathroom toward the table.

He guessed he was gone longer than he thought when he saw waitresses bring out massive plates of food to accommodate all the werewolves. He noticed Whitney and Hallie's looks of surprise at all the food suddenly filling up the already crowded tables.

"Nice move, Collin," Jared joked from one side of the table.

"Just call me special," Collin replied, sitting down to a mountain of chocolate chip covered waffles, hash browns, and two sides of bacon.

"Are you okay?" Leah asked.

"Fine," he lied. "My hand slipped."

"If that happened to me, I would've shot ten feet out of my chair," Leah's imprint, Whitney, tried to joke. He looked over at the girl, who was much more well-rested than her friend. When he dared to look over at the friend in question, he was relieved that Hallie and Brady weren't talking anymore. She was on her phone, an unhappy look on her face as she scrolled and tapped on the screen. A little mason jar on a plate was set in front of her, but it was empty. Did she even eat?

"Is your editor seriously texting you right now?" Whitney snapped, seeming to follow Collin's gaze. "Seriously, does she have no shame? It's _Sunday_."

"Stories don't sleep," Hallie said, and the line sounded rehearsed like they've had the argument before.

"What do you do for a living?" Collin asked before he could stop himself. A few members of the pack gave him sidelong looks, but he chose to ignore them. Hallie's eyes were still on the screen, but her brows did shoot up. She slowly looked at him, leveling him with another one of his least favorite looks.

"I'm a freelance writer," she said. "I work for a lifestyle web-based journal that writes about the latest trends and events in pretty much anything and everything."

"It's a really cool gig," Whitney interjected. "Sometimes she gets sent recipes to try, or makeup products to sample, or tickets to music festivals. She even gets to work from home!"

"That's so cool!" Kim gushed.

"Thanks, I think so," Hallie said, fidgeting under everyone's attention. "It pays the bills."

"Um, yeah, don't let the near mono-syllabic responses fool you," Whitney said, giving Hallie a nudge. "This girl is totally going places. She's getting sent to the main office in L.A. for some conference or something, and she's only been doing this for a year."

"It's really not that big of a deal," Hallie muttered. She put up her phone and started fiddling with a spoon on her plate. "A lot of people go."

"That's still pretty exciting, though," Kim said, as sociable and smiley as ever. She always was like a miniature Emily.

Collin couldn't be either of those things. Instead he just felt his stomach sinking like it was lead. It was even more obvious that she came from money, how else could she attain such an – albeit cool, but still – unrealistic career? He picked up a fork and stabbed it into his shredded hash browns, mustering up the desire to eat. Instead he just felt nauseous. He'd never be able to fit with this girl. As far as he was concerned, they weren't even on the same level.

Everyone asked Hallie more questions about her job, then moved on to Whitney. Everyone wanted to know everything about Leah's imprint, excited to learn more about the latest addition to the pack. When she laughed at Jared's cheesy jokes and leaned into Leah after his friend wrapped an arm around her shoulders, Collin realized something kind of awful.

He couldn't exactly be free of Hallie Jessop.

She was best friends with _his_ best friend's imprint. This wouldn't be the last time he would see her. There would be more events that Hallie would be invited to. From weddings, to baby showers, to bonfires… Their paths were intertwined. Part of him dreaded the separation, while a much smaller and more selfish part was relieved.

Everyone slowly finished their meals, Collin's food was snatched up by Brady, Embry, and Jared. Conversations petered out as everyone settled their checks. As he watched them all stand up and hug each other goodbye, he realized this was it. This would be the last time he'd see his imprint for (hopefully) a long, long time.

The pull in his chest began to burn as he followed everyone else out of the diner. He watched Hallie walk toward Leah's RAV4 on nimble legs, her hair swinging from side to side as she had a little bounce in her steps.

Someone suddenly shoved his shoulder hard, making Collin turn around to glare at none other than Brady. "Dude, what's up with you?"

"Nothing," Collin snapped, sparing one final look at Hallie as she clambered into the backseat of Leah's car. Of course, she caught him staring at her and pinned him with another quizzical look. Then she grabbed the door and shut it behind her. Collin's heart plummeted to his feet.

"Do I even _have_ to call bullshit now, or can that just be my unspoken response?" Brady asked. "If I knew you were into her, I wouldn't have –"

"I'm _not_ into her," Collin said. "Do whatever the hell you want, I'm just glad she's gone."

Then Collin's phone went off in his pocket. He fished it out, punching Brady with his other hand when his friend said something sarcastic. He frowned when he saw who exactly was calling, but picked it up all the same.

"Mom?" Collin asked.

" _Good morning!_ " Collin's mother greeted cheerily on the other line. " _How are you?_ "

"Um, fine," he said as he watched Leah's car back out of its parking spot and roll out of the diner's parking lot. "Is everything okay?"

" _Yes, of course,_ " she replied. " _Are you busy tonight?_ "

"No, why?" Collin's confusion was growing by the second.

" _Well, I was wondering if you could come over for dinner tonight instead of our usual Wednesday. I've got a bit of a proposition for you._ "

Usually, the playful scheming tone in his mother's voice would've made him laugh. Today, it just filled him with dread. "Okay," he said. "What is it?"

" _Well, you remember your grandpa's old cabin near the beach, right? I've been sprucing the place up whenever I get the chance so we could start renting it out during the summers. I put the house on one of those rental websites. I didn't think people could actually read the article and I could just make it official when we were ready to start renting it out –_ "

"Mom, you're kind of losing me."

" _Sorry! Basically, long story short, someone is interested in renting out the cabin for a week! It's pretty much finished except for a few touches that I can't quite get to myself, and since your father's always so busy at work, I need someone to finish it up. It's nothing big, just a couple of heavy boxes that need to be moved into the shed for storage and possibly a few things around the house. Since you live closer to it, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind managing it._ "

It sounded like a hell of a lot more trouble than what Collin wanted to deal with. But, his mom was asking him, and since he moved out, he felt like he owed something to his parents. Like he needed to thank them for dealing with his werewolf-phasing better than a lot of his other packmates' parents did.

"Um, all right. Just give me a list and the keys when I come over."

" _Really?_ " She almost sounded skeptical. Usually getting Collin to help out with anything was like pulling teeth.

"Sure. When are the people coming to rent it out?"

" _Well… next Wednesday?"_

Collin's shoulders slumped. That was _not_ enough time to get a lot done. He was sure his mom had more chores lined up for him than what she made it seem too, she had a niche for underestimating the length it took to get certain projects done.

" _We can talk about it more when you come over tonight,_ " she reassured him. " _Seven o'clock okay?_ "

"That works, I'll see you then."

" _Perfect, thanks sweetheart, love you!_ "

"Love you too," he echoed. The line went dead.

It felt like the world was passing by too slowly. He watched Leah's RAV4 pull out of the diner and speed down the road. The burn in Collin's chest erupted like a volcano. Heat licked up and down his skin like a wildfire, worse than before. His body shook and ached and begged for release.

"Jesus, Collin, what the hell is wrong with you –"

Collin chucked his phone at Embry and walked toward the forest. As soon as he was under the cover of trees and ferns, he exploded.

This phase was more painful compared to his usual shifts. His body burned and hurt and his head ached and everything felt wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. _So wrong_. He knew why.

He tore off through the forest, going opposite of his imprint, and every step felt like a vice tightened around his chest. He could hardly breathe, his breathless pants were deafening. But he fought for control.

He sprinted past the La Push border and across his tiny reservation, finally getting closer to the beach. He stopped on the familiar hill, Pride Rock, overlooking his town and the beach further beyond it. He panted and forced salty air down his lungs. He needed to calm down, he needed to get back in control. His wolfish instincts had never been as strong as they were right now, and Collin started to worry if they would never go back to the way they were. He'd only been standing here two nights ago, feeling sorry for Quil because he'd never have a life due to his imprint. Now Collin was alone, pitying himself for getting caught in the same situation.

She was gone. His soulmate was gone. She left, and he'd never have to see her again until Leah and Whitney got married. Until then, Collin needed to learn how to breathe without her. He needed to learn how to ease the tension in his body, the strain in his chest. In one night, he'd come completely undone, and he needed to learn how to put himself back together.

* * *

So, Wednesday is going to be the day! I plan on uploading new chapters every Wednesday and I will try to stick with that. Thanks for your follows, favs, and reviews! Let me know how you felt about this chapter!


	13. I Think You Turned Out Pretty Well

**12\. "I Think You Turned Out Pretty Well."**

A few hours and two full boundary patrols later, Collin finally settled down enough to phase back if he wanted to. Of course, during the course of those few hours, he'd been met with several concerned members of his pack (Brady, Embry, even Seth tried at Leah's expense) and others just getting on their patrols (poor Paul never thought Collin could have a temper), but Collin ordered them away before they could see too much into his thoughts. At least he hoped no one saw what was going on with him.

The running helped wear him down and ease his frustration, but the strain in his chest was still there and it was becoming harder to manage every second. At least between that and the breathlessness and overall physical fatigue that came with running nonstop, he didn't have to focus as much on it.

Collin felt a shimmer in the back of his mind, signaling that another wolf in his pack phased. He cocked his head to the side, immediately testing the link to see who it was. Embry wasn't due for a patrol until much later tonight.

 _Paul told me what was going on_ , Sam said.

Before Collin could put up his guard, Sam already started sorting through the events that happened after Collin left last night and then through breakfast. He thought it was funny that Brady started flirting with Hallie and Collin tried his best not to care (which took a lot of work, thank you), and also replayed the scene in which Collin first saw her as she punched that drunk guy in the face. All in all, Sam approved of Hallie. He thought her personality meshed perfectly with Collin's, she would be an asset to the pack, why couldn't Collin just accept her –

 _You know why_ , Collin snapped. _Does anyone else know?_

 _No_ , Sam said. _Your secret is still safe._

Good, no one needed to know. Collin's ears slowly perked up. He could physically hear Sam's pawsteps as the other wolf made his way toward him. It only took a few heartbeats until his alpha's black form melted out of the undergrowth and stood beside Collin. Sam playfully shoved him.

 _Would you relax?_ Sam sighed. He'd never seen Collin this tense before, and the tenor of his thoughts were even starting to stress the alpha out.

Collin snorted at him. A breeze filtered through the trees, carrying the faint traces of sea salt and pine. Usually the scent would calm him, it used to be one of his favorite smells. But today it pulled at his chest, making him flinch at the unexpected twinge of pain. This wasn't the scent that could calm him anymore.

Sam chuffed. He was surprised that Collin hadn't caved already. He was surprised that Collin wasn't already sprinting for Seattle to be with his mate. Despite the turmoil between Emily, Leah, and Sam when he imprinted, Sam still had an insatiable urge to be with his imprint. The separation, no matter how brief, could cripple a wolf. At least it should.

 _Maybe I'm just special_ , Collin said, repeating his earlier sentiment from the diner.

 _At least you're not in denial about that._

Collin's pain was definitely real and it definitely chipped away at his resolve with every passing moment, but maybe he just hid it better. Or he had one hell of a stubborn streak. He just couldn't bring himself to cave. That meant surrendering himself to someone who was completely wrong for him. It meant giving up a part of his life he wasn't sure he was willing to let go of.

 _You've always told us not one imprint is the same_ , Collin reasoned. _Maybe I'm just the lucky one that didn't end up with the 'psycho needy' side effect to the bond._

Sam didn't think that was it. He thought maybe like the way he could easily read his pack's thoughts, Collin could manipulate his wolf's urges into a more submissive state. Maybe his steely control truly gave him the power of mind over matter, which allowed him a higher tolerance to be away from his imprint. He summarized that even though Collin put up a strong front now, it wouldn't be long until he would have to give in and go to Seattle. He was already starting to switch patrol schedules to accommodate the trip.

Collin felt miserable and not at all like he was in control, but he didn't argue the point. Instead he looked back over his small town. He also finally noticed the sun's position.

 _What time is it?_ Collin asked.

 _It was almost six when I phased_ , Sam said. _If you run to your parents' house from here, you'll probably make it in time._

But Collin needed to change. He'd torn his clothes in the rush to phase –

 _Take these_ , Sam offered. He turned, flashing an image of the bundle of clothes tied around his leg specifically meant for Collin. Collin dropped down and easily snapped the leather cord keeping the clothes in place. He held them in his mouth and took off, offering Sam a thanks before he was out of sight.

It was a thanks just for the clothes, though, nothing else.

 **. xXx .**

Collin reached his parents' house by seven-oh-five. They lived in a small neighborhood a few miles further east than Collin's current house. It was a cliché little subdivision, one of the nicer ones in town, actually. His parents had worked hard for their house and kept it in pristine condition. It was always picture perfect.

He slipped on the pair of shorts Sam loaned him. He also found a pair of flip flops and his phone in the pocket of his shorts, as well as a faded black shirt folded up inside. He let his shoulders droop a little in relief. He knew it was Emily behind the smart wardrobe bundle, he'd seen it in Sam's thoughts as he passed along the clothes. Emily had given Sam a look of utter bewilderment when he tried to leave the house with the singular pair of shorts. He thought those alone would be perfectly acceptable to wear to dinner at Collin's parents' house. Emily quickly and effectively informed him that was _not_ the case.

So maybe in some cases imprints weren't bad at all. Emily always came through for everyone when they needed it most, Sam definitely relied on her in more ways than just her companionship. Collin just didn't get why he needed an Emily to help him get through life. He thought he was doing just fine.

But when his chest twinged in that new yet familiar pain, he wondered how much longer he'd be 'just fine.' Sam was right, it would only be a matter of time until Collin couldn't deny his wolf any longer. Even now the more wild part of him clawed just underneath the surface, fighting to get its way. The wolf wouldn't get it, though. It'd taken up enough of his life, and even if it was just for a night, he would fight it.

He walked up to his parents' front door and let himself in. His senses were immediately welcomed with the delicious hearty smell of pasta, his mom's semi-homemade tomato sauce and garlic knots. His stomach rumbled in appreciation. Somehow, in the midst of everything, Collin almost forgot he was even hungry. That _never_ happened.

"Hello," he called out.

"Collin?" Collin's mom poked her head around the corner of the foyer. A brilliant smile lit up her features. "Hey, come on in!"

Collin found Mrs. Littlesea completely in her element in the kitchen. Her coarse ruddy brown hair was styled in a spiky pixie-cut. She was completely dressed up in a bright patterned dress that hugged her lithe curves, coupled with heels and accented with jewelry. It wasn't surprising. In every memory Collin had of his mother, she was always dressed up for any occasion. He couldn't remember ever seeing his mother in anything less casual than jeans and a button-up blouse. Even in during Thanksgiving he remembered his mother cooking in bright red stilettos and had been completely comfortable while doing so.

"Hey, mom," he smiled, walking into the kitchen to pull her into a hug. She squeezed him tightly, rubbing a hand up and down his back. For the first time in a while, the hug she gave him felt closer to the ones she used to give him before he started phasing.

Usually their weekly dinners were a little less... genuine. Every move was mechanical and forced. His mom would give him smiles that weren't as full, his dad would hardly say anything at all. Collin himself wouldn't really talk that much if only to answer a question with a one-worded answer. He thought the bond between his parents had been broken by the phasing, the constant secret-keeping, and the sneaking out for late night patrols. Maybe time was finally healing that.

"Hey, you," she said cheerily. "Everything's almost ready, why don't you go ahead and set the table for us."

"What about Dad?"

He glanced over at his mom, but she had her back to him and her attention on the stove. She flapped her hand after him. "Oh, he's working late tonight," she said, and Collin heard a peculiar thinness to her usual chipper tone. "So it's just you and me tonight!"

Though it wasn't unusual that his dad worked late nights (even the occasional weekend wasn't safe), Collin did think it was weird how his mom seemed so affected by it all of a sudden. He didn't say anything and shifted his focus to setting the table.

"You excited about Grandpa's house finally getting rented out?" Collin asked. He knew it'd been a dream of his mom's to turn the cabin into a sort of vacation spot. She hoped it would bring more people to the reservation so they could learn something about their culture. She figured since the cabin was on the very edge of the reservation, tourists wouldn't get in the way of the tribe.

"Absolutely!" She replied. "Now bring those bowls over here, you've got to be starved."

"Yup, I saved up just for tonight," Collin half-lied. Part of him was starving, yes, but a more dominant part still felt sick to his stomach about Hallie's departure.

Collin's mom ladled in a normal-sized portion of pasta for herself, then piled Collin's high with noodles. She spooned on tomato sauce for herself, then drowned Collin's bowl. She took one of her classic garlic knots and gave Collin four.

"So," his mom started as Collin sat down at their quaint kitchen table. She passed him a glass filled with ice cubes and Diet Coke and had a glass and a bottle of wine for herself. She slid an envelope at the far end of the table over to him.

"Is this supposed to be an offer I can't refuse?" Collin joked and his mom laughed.

"Kind of, yeah," she replied. "Inside are the keys, a list, and my credit card for when you have to run to the store –"

"Mom, I can cover it –"

"No, no," she waved him off. "I know you can, but you're still doing me a big favor. I also… have another one to ask you."

Collin paused in twirling his fork in the pasta. "What's up?"

His mom picked at her food, hardly taking a bite. It was then that Collin noticed his mom looked kind of tired. She was always thin, but her cheeks appeared a little more sunken in. Her dark eyes that usually held so much light in them were dull. Her nails that were usually manicured and polished were devoid of color and chipping on the edges. He frowned and scrutinized her a little more carefully. "Are you –?"

"Do you think you could maybe watch the property next week?" She asked, totally bowling over Collin's question. "Maybe just take care of it if the tenant has any problems? I'm sure they won't, they seemed pretty low maintenance, but I'd appreciate the help if you could. It's just that it'd be hard for me to get out that way –"

"Mom, it's fine," Collin said. "My shifts are pretty light this week anyway, so it's not a problem at all. I guess this makes me… like a property manager?"

"Yup! Not bad at twenty-four, huh?" His mom smiled at him, but it was a tight smile, the ones Collin was used to seeing. It didn't fully reach her eyes, which made him a little sad. Did he say something wrong? Collin finally found the word to describe his mom's current state, and it was brittle. She looked like she would shatter into a million pieces in a gust of wind. Belatedly, he realized she'd looked that way for some time.

"Mom…" Collin started off.

"Why aren't you eating?" She questioned instead. "You're usually on your second helping by now. Are you okay?"

"Are _you_?" He asked right back.

She offered him one of her impish smiles, but this time it looked more sad than mischievous. "I asked you first."

"I, uh…" he said, dropping his gaze. Should he even say anything? It wasn't like his mom would ever meet Hallie. But he also felt like he needed to tell somebody. Somebody who didn't know about the imprint so they could give him unbiased advice. "I think I met someone."

" _What_?" Collin's mom reared up in surprise, and poured herself another glass of wine. She filled it up a little too high. "Why didn't you lead off with this? Come on, spill! What's her name, what does she do?"

"I didn't want to lead off with it because I knew this was how you'd react," he smiled. "We're not even dating, but…"

" _Honey_!" Collin's mom reached out to hold his hand in hers. "That's amazing! I'm so happy for you! When do I get to meet her?"

He barked out a laugh. "Not for a while," he assured her. "Or maybe not at all. Like I said, we're not even dating. Honestly… I'm not sure if I even want to."

The smile was still on her face, but it was a little bemused. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "The guys say she's a good match for me, from the second I saw her, I… I felt something. But we're total opposites. I don't even think she'd go for someone like me anyway –"

"You stop that," his mother ordered, squeezing his hands. "I may not know this girl, but I know she'd have to be an idiot if she wouldn't go for you. If I say so myself, I think you turned out pretty well, especially with the quality raising you got from your mother."

"She's a hell of a woman to put up with me," he agreed.

"If you don't think this girl is the one for you, then you don't have to do anything about it, and your friends shouldn't pressure you to date her in the first place. Maybe they just see something you don't. How long have you known each other?"

"Um… not long," Collin said. "We were formally introduced last night, and it wasn't really a good first impression either –"

"Collin Littlesea, what have I told you about first impressions?"

"That there's usually a fifty-fifty chance of them being right?" Collin asked, which earned him a smack on the back of the head. "Hey! Okay, okay! It was a joke, I swear. You told me that they're never perfect."

"So? There might be a fifty-fifty chance this girl feels the same way," his mom reasoned. "Wouldn't you feel bad if you never got to find that out?"

"I guess," Collin said.

"I say if you felt something in the beginning, it might be worth a second chance," she said. "But it's your choice. I just don't want you living with any what ifs."

Collin knew right then his mom spoke the truth. If he didn't at least attempt to understand his imprint and whatever force connected him, it would be one of the biggest what ifs of his entire life. Maybe he needed to give her a second chance.

And he knew just where to start.

* * *

Oh, Mrs. Littlesea. You are literally my unrealistic adult goals, because I love sweatpants and gym shorts too much (seriously, it's a problem) to ever dress like I imagine she does. When I started this story, I knew I needed to incorporate Collin's parents in somehow, but I couldn't quite figure it out. Then this happened. I'm in love.

Thank you again for all of the support from likes, favs, and especially your reviews! What do you guys think about Collin's mom, and more importantly, his absent father...? Dun, dun, DUN!


	14. Can We Start Over?

Sorry for the delay! I was moving! Hopefully an extra-long chapter will make up for it?

* * *

 **13\. "Can We Start Over?"**

Hallie hated packing.

She detested the folding, the sorting, the deciding, and everything that went along with it. Currently, she sat on the floor in her bedroom surrounded by piles of clothes and she had absolutely _nothing to wear_. Well, nothing to wear for hiking adventures, that was.

She had her trusty leggings, athletic shorts, and T-shirts, but when she showed her off her running shoes to Whitney (the self-proclaimed nature guru, and the Hallie-proclaimed only hope) she almost died of laughter. Seriously, she was laughing so hard Hallie thought she was about to accidentally kill her best friend. And if not accidentally, she was going to do it on purpose.

"Please for the love of God just get new _shoes_!" Whitney still had the energy to complain about Hallie's choices long after Hallie herself abandoned the subject. "Those are falling apart at the _seams_! Everything else is fine, just – I just can't even with you right now."

"No! They work just fine!" Hallie exclaimed as she portioned out Rebel's dog food for a week. "They still have plenty of life in them yet!"

"I can't believe you're really doing this," Whitney said, watching Rebel curiously sniff at the food laid out all over their kitchen island. Hallie saw this behavior and waved him off. He didn't move back an inch. Instead, he took two small steps closer.

"Me either," Hallie said, "but I'm excited. I already found a great cabin and everything. It's right off the beach near La Push."

"Really? I thought you said you were over that place."

"I know, and I am, but my editor isn't. I'm just going to keep a low profile, none of Leah's friends need to know I'm there. I wasn't kidding when I said I caused enough damage."

Whitney snorted. "Anymore and you would've wrecked my girlfriend's hometown. But I don't think any of the guys were complaining."

Hallie rolled her eyes and dropped the dog food baggies into a plastic tub filled with Rebel's other essentials. The dog trotted over to investigate the bin, but Hallie was faster, and fastened the lid in place before her clever mutt got any ideas. Rebel's massive ears folded back and he snorted at her.

"So rude," Hallie said affectionately, rubbing Rebel between the ears. The dog quickly gave up on the bin if it meant he could get more attention from his owner.

"Only they'll be so heartbroken when they realize you've only got eyes for one man in your life," Whitney continued as she poured herself another drink. Red wine was their choice for the evening. "Doubly so when they find out he has fur."

"Well, they'll just have to get over it." Hallie hoisted her dog up. Rebel squirmed in her arms until he was comfortable and took to Whitney staring down with his most adorable look. "How could I say no to such a handsome face?"

Whitney smiled and reached across the island to ruffle Rebel's ears. "You'll text me every day, right? Let me know you're doing okay?"

"Yes, mom," Hallie said. "I'm just doing a bunch of walking, nothing different from what we do here. There will just be more… trees and rocks and stuff."

Whitney gave her a very serious look. "You're going to end up in a horror movie situation."

"No I won't," Hallie said. "If anything, I'm going for action-suspense."

 **. xXx .**

That was how Hallie started her weeklong work adventure. She woke up the next morning at five o'clock and started hauling her and Rebel's luggage in the car. She decided to forgo making a cup of coffee at home and treat herself at a local coffee shop.

So… because five a.m. was an obscene time to wake up to begin with, and she also hadn't had any caffeine, Hallie almost left the house without Rebel himself. She was glad her sweet dog didn't hold grudges.

After purchasing her coffee and navigating Seattle's traffic (simple equation there: steep hills plus a manual transmission did not bode well for Hallie or Rebel's nerves), Hallie felt like she conquered the world by six-thirty a.m.

With her bags packed in the backseat, a coffee in her hand, and Rebel at her side, Hallie got the weirdest sense of déjà vu. She guessed that would be normal, though. It had only been two and a half months ago that she'd been driving in a much similar fashion, only that trek lasted about a week and felt a lot more urgent. Maybe it was because that was more like an escape and she couldn't move fast enough.

But now Hallie didn't need to escape. She was right where she needed to be. She was sure of it.

Rebel, now used to long trips, already found his spot curled up on the passenger seat. He was almost asleep, watching Hallie with drowsy brown eyes and focusing on her with satellite dish-like massive ears.

Over the course of the next few hours, Hallie felt like her trip was going smoothly. She had her coffee, dutifully stopped every hour to give her and Rebel some time to be outside and stretch their legs, and even started on a few lines on her article.

Before she even realized it, they were crossing the property line in La Push. Rebel's ears perked up high as he leaned precariously out of the open window on the passenger's side. He sniffed the air and stared at all of the trees as they whipped past. Hallie almost felt guilty for not bringing Rebel to a place like this sooner, he looked like he was having the time of his life.

"It's only going to get better for you from here, Rebel Rouser," she informed him as she paused at a stop sign. She reached over to scratch the space between his shoulders. "Promise you'll kill all the spiders for me?"

Rebel turned back around to look at her, sniff her fingers, then stare back out the window. Hallie took it as a solid promise.

 **. xXx .**

Hallie's directions led her to a small wooden cabin set near a cliff overlooking choppy Pacific gray waves. When she pulled up the gravel pathway, her eyebrows screwed up at the sight of a silver Toyota Tacoma with large tires in front of the house. She parked next to the car and stepped out of her Jeep.

Rebel hopped out after her and sprinted around the yard, excitedly taking in the new sights and smells and relieving himself while Hallie started making her way to the front door.

"Um… Hello?" Hallie called out. She didn't get a response.

She climbed up the three steps leading onto the cabin's tiny front porch which had been set with two green Adirondack chairs and a little table. On the table sat a tall cardboard thermal cup with a local logo printed on it. It made Hallie's heart sink.

She wondered if she'd come all this way for nothing. The person who rented out the property seemed legitimate on the website, but Hallie began to second-guess herself and wonder if she might have gotten sucked into a rental scam.

She glanced back to find Rebel still in eyesight, checking out the property. His white-tipped tail wagged a mile a minute even with his nose practically glued to the ground. Hallie sidled up to the front door and rapped it a couple of times. "Hello?" She called again.

Rebel barked, which made Hallie jump and spin around. She found her dog's focus pinned on something toward the side of the house, large ears erect and his entire posture stiff as a board. Suddenly, he tore straight down the side of the house.

"Reb!" Hallie shouted.

She almost tripped down the stairs as she ran after her dog, but ended up stopping short when she heard rich laughter already making its way toward her. She paused when she saw her dog run back to her (thankfully unharmed), then dart back around the house.

"All right, all right, I surrender!" A happy-sounding male voice said. She could hear the other person make his way toward her. She took a couple of steps forward.

"Rebel, come back here!" Hallie demanded. "I'm sorry about him, I promise he's friendly –"

Rebel darted back around the other side of the house, his ears flattening against his head when he saw Hallie's fierce look. She signaled for him to sit down and _stay_ before looking back up. "Maybe too friendly, but he's my icebreaker –"

The stranger made his way around the house. Hallie was sure if they weren't attached to her head, her eyeballs would've fallen out.

" _You_?"

Collin Littlesea leaned against the house's corner with his arms folded across his chest, wearing a pair of gym shorts, a T-shirt so faded she couldn't make out the logo on his chest, and a pair of worn sneakers. He smirked at her probably idiotic expression. She felt like a fish out of water.

"You're a little early for the next party, I'm afraid," he said.

"What –" she couldn't even get the words out. So much for keeping a low profile. "What are you doing here?"

"This used to be my grandpa's house," he said. "After he passed, my mom decided she wanted to turn it into a vacation rental. I was just fixing a couple of things."

"Oh," Hallie replied, and she knew how totally eloquent the response _wasn't_ , but she was too busy trying to figure this guy out. Because she just didn't _get_ him.

From what she learned at the party, he was pretty much a legitimate badass. The way he grabbed that guy's fist in mid-swing told Hallie he was deceptively strong and fast. That, and the way he was built (the dude was a freaking _giant_ ), made it clear he could hold his own in a fight. And then the way he looked at her that night still sent tiny chills up her spine whenever she dredged the memory up. It was intense, it made her feel like something big was happening. Whenever she seemed to lock eyes with him (which apparently was often), he looked at her like that.

Even in the diner the next morning, after she was so sure she'd run him off, he looked at her like that. Granted, he didn't look exactly enthused with her presence, but she could tell there was just something _more_ going on that she didn't know about. But Hallie fought to brush it off, because she learned things could be exactly what they seemed. Whitney always made fun of her for reading into things too much, so that's what had to have happened there. There was no way a guy like Collin Littlesea could look at _painfully mundane_ Hallie Jessop the way she thought he did. There was no way a guy like Collin Littlesea could ask _painfully mundane_ Hallie Jessop a question as simple as what she did for a living, and seem to hang on to every word like it was the most thrilling story ever told.

And even right now, she knew she had to be seeing things when she saw Collin look at her. His expression was emotionless, but she could've sworn she saw an… an almost fond expression on his face before it disappeared. No, she couldn't be right, and if she was then he had to be working an angle just like his best friends. Just because she was caught off guard by their first meeting, Leah's words solidified Hallie's opinion of him. That, and that random maroon-haired bimbo clawing all over him only proved it. But that didn't bother her. Nope, not even a little bit.

"Is that your dog?" Collin asked, looking a little awkward.

"Um, yeah," she replied, letting Rebel trot back toward Collin and sit at his feet. "His name's Rebel."

Collin reached down to rub Rebel's ears, which the dog absolutely loved. Traitor. "Very cool. What kind of dog is he?"

"I don't know," she said. "The shelter I got him from said he was some kind of terrier, but Whitney thinks he's an Australian Kelpie-Border Collie mix. Apparently he's got all the traits of both breeds, with his size and the tri coat and the ears and personality. I think he's a just goofball, which should be a special breed all its own –"

Hallie shut her mouth when she realized she started to ramble. She didn't even notice until it was too late. But come on, she'd been distracted by watching some fine as hell guy pet her absolutely adorable dog, anyone would have done the same!

Collin didn't seem to notice, or he was too polite to point it out. Rebel seemed to just eat Collin's attention up while Hallie felt like a total moron. What was wrong with her? Wasn't she supposed to be a better social lubricant than vodka? Why did this guy make her feel like the nervous dork she _thought_ she left back in high school?

"He's a good dog," he said as he straightened up. "So what are you doing back here? I thought you'd done enough damage."

The joke finally woke Hallie up from her 'hot-guy-cute-dog' induced haze. She narrowed her eyes at him and called Rebel back. Her dog scrambled up on the porch and tried to stay out of the way.

"I didn't come back by choice," she informed him. "My editor wanted me to do a piece on the outdoorsy scene in the Pacific Northwest. Reb and I are going to hike a couple of trails and rate them."

"Sounds interesting," Collin said. "I didn't peg you to be the outdoorsy type."

"Because I'm not," she replied. "I didn't have many other options to choose from."

"Oh."

If Hallie wasn't mistaken, she could've sworn he sounded a little deflated. Part of her felt pretty good about it, while a much smaller part felt guilty. Oh well, she decided not to care. She wasn't here to make any new friends.

But that didn't ease the niggling feeling in her stomach as a silence stretched between them and turned awkward. She looked away so she could follow her dog's movements as he lay down on the porch. A light breeze cut through Hallie's T-shirt and brushed her bare legs. In it, she could smell sea salt.

"I should probably unpack," she said.

"Right, yeah," Collin agreed. "I should probably give you the key."

He finally closed the distance between them, reaching into his pocket to produce a small silver key. A little braided leather cord was tied around one of the loops with bluish-green beads nestled inside, and had a small clasp at the end. Collin extended his arm toward her.

She reached out and swiped the key from his hand maybe a little too quickly. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," he said.

Cue another awkward silence.

Hallie tried to look everywhere else on the tiny property apparently Collin's grandfather used to live on. After she glanced at the sea to her left, admired the ash-colored reclaimed wood holding the house up, and staring quite intently at her feet, she dared another look up at Collin. And yes, he was still staring at her. Despite the emotionless look on his face, the focus he seemed to pin her with was intense and… maybe even a little predatory. It made the little hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

She shuffled back toward her car and finally turned her back on him to start pulling out her luggage.

"Uh, here, why don't I help you," Collin said.

"No, no, I can –"

Before she knew it, the boy was right behind her, reaching past her to yank out her two duffel bags. She skittered off to the side as he swung around with Rebel's plastic tub in his hands and made his way to the house. It left her behind, feeling useless, and clipping the cabin key to her car keys. The door to the cabin was already unlocked, and Collin let himself and Rebel inside. Hallie's skin itched at the way the scene looked, how he just seemed to make himself at home with her belongings and her dog. Maybe it was because she liked the image too much. She grabbed her coffee out from the front seat and followed them.

The inside of the cabin was just as beautiful and rustic as the outside. It was small and cozy with a tiny living room set off to the right and the kitchen decked out with small stainless steel appliances to the left. Behind the living room, Hallie could guess the only door would lead her to a bedroom. Despite the size, the house's use of décor made it seem like Hallie rented out a luxury vacation spot.

"Did you do all of this yourself?" Hallie asked.

Collin dropped the duffel bags and Rebel's tub on the table of a small breakfast nook behind the kitchen. It was stationed next to a window that overlooked the ocean. He straightened up and glanced at Rebel as the dog paced around the house.

"No," he answered, and he almost looked a little remorseful. "I helped out a little when I could, but it was mainly my mom and Jared's dad. He's a contractor."

"Well she has fantastic taste," Hallie said.

"I'll be sure to pass that along."

Then it was quiet. Again.

Again, Hallie pretended to busy herself with soaking up all of the details of the tiny cabin. She'd do pretty much anything if it meant she didn't have to make eye contact with Collin. Who knew what idiotic thing she'd say if she got distracted by him again, like the 'hot-guy-cute-dog' incident.

But he was still standing in the cabin, looking like he wanted to say something but at the same time didn't. She'd never felt so awkward in her entire life. Come on, Jessop, say something, say _anything_!

"Um, Hallie –"

"I'm still really sorry about Saturday," she blurted out.

Collin's mouth shut and formed a line. He pinned her with a confused look that clearly spelled out, 'go on.'

"I promise I'm not normally like that," she went on. "I'm just really protective over Whitney. When she came out to her parents about being bi, they took it bad. Like, kicked her out of the house, bad. So when that douche at the party kept talking shit, and I probably drank more than I should have, I kind of lost my temper. But that's still no excuse to make such a scene –"

"I would've done the same thing," Collin finally said. "Leah's my best friend too, so I want what's best for her, and that's Whitney."

Hallie let out a long breath she didn't even realize she was holding. "Okay," she said. "If it's okay with you, I'd like to start over."

The corner of Collin's mouth twitched up in a small grin that only lasted for two seconds. "I'd like that."

"Good," Hallie finally had enough courage to take a few steps toward him and offered her hand. "I'm Hallie Jessop."

Collin actually laughed at her then with that same rich, full-bodied laugh that didn't fit his guarded demeanor at all. Would Hallie ever figure this guy out? Did she even want to? He reached out and wrapped her hand in his. "And I'm Collin Littlesea."

Hot. His skin was feverishly hot, just like it was when he grabbed her on Saturday night. She didn't think she exactly minded it, she was one of those people that always ran cold. His skin was calloused and dry, and the grip he had on her was firm yet gentle. It caused delicate tingles to course just under her skin and goosebumps to erupt. She sucked in a small breath, but she felt like she couldn't get enough air. This wasn't normal.

"It's nice to meet you," Collin said, his voice soft. He was staring at their hands in... Hallie could only describe it as awe. Did he feel it too?

She stared up at him for another beat, taking in his dark eyes and strong features before finally letting go of his hand. She took a small step back and tried to squelch out the lingering flutter in her chest. That wasn't a normal thing to feel.

"I'll see you around, Hallie Jessop," Collin said as he walked toward the door. He passed Rebel, who was curled up on the corner of the couch in the living room, and gave him a scratch behind the ears in farewell and opened the door.

"See you," she said faintly. He paused at the open doorway, sending Hallie another devilish smirk that didn't last long enough to be appreciated, before closing the door behind him.

 _Click._

The air in the tiny cabin felt incredibly thick.

Hallie unpacked her belongings slowly, watching Collin's truck start up and drive away from the property. When it was finally out of sight, Hallie turned to look at Rebel. His ears perked up and swiveled toward her.

"What the hell was that?" She demanded.

* * *

Yay! We have reconciliation! What do you guys think? Thank you again for the follows, favs, and reviews! They've been inspiring me to keep going!


	15. Yeah, but Still

So, I'm _so-so-so_ sorry for not updating at my usual schedule. There has been moving, then moving again, then possibly-moving a third time, then getting settled, then having no internet... It's been a nightmare.

Thank you guys so much for your comments in the meantime, though! I just got on today and saw the reviews. You're all so nice! Here's the latest installment!

* * *

 **14\. "Yeah, but Still..."**

Collin raced through the forest, relishing in the wind as it cut through his fur. It carried the scents of the forest and the sea and La Push, all more fresh and vibrant than he remembered. Trees were a lush emerald and the soil a rich dark brown. Birds chirped around him harmoniously, he could hear other smaller animals scamper out of his way.

He could see, smell, and hear everything with so much clarity, it was insane. There was a lightness in his steps that he'd never felt before. In fact, it almost felt like he'd been trapped under a haze this whole time, and he was only now seeing the world for the first time. He leapt over a fallen tree without an ounce of effort. He felt like he was flying. Maybe he needed to thank Hallie Jessop for that.

What were the chances that her job would bring her back to La Push, in his mom's rental cabin, for an entire _week_? Collin felt like he'd been given the most generous hand in the history of the universe, and he'd be damned if he wouldn't take advantage of it.

His mom ended up waking something in him that was only just stirring when he first saw Hallie. Something that pushed him to the edge, threatening to make him jump. He still had his reservations about the girl, but he couldn't deny the pull that became near-excruciating by the time he left dinner Sunday evening.

He almost sprinted to Seattle as soon as he stepped out of his parents' house, but then he thought better of it. It probably wouldn't look good for the pack and their secret if he blew it all by running down Pike Street. So he changed his plan. He'd text Leah and find a way to get Hallie's number without letting her know about the imprint. But as he tried to draft his text, he started to like the idea of sprinting down Pike Street more.

All that work, only for it to come up short. Collin's world pretty much ended when Leah texted back: _don't have her number, she's going to be out of town all of next week anyway. Why?_

He probably should've told her why, but he just couldn't. What if it didn't work out? What if it was just the stupid imprint bond making him so damn needy, and as soon as he saw her again, he'd remember why he wanted to stay the hell away from her in the first place?

It wasn't like he could ask Leah where she was going, either. Because that would be weird, first of all. Second of all, he had to watch his mom's cabin. So he decided he would go through the week on autopilot, hoping he could ignore the pull in his chest and an ache surfacing from every nerve ending. He knew that ache from his pack brothers. It was the pain from being away from their imprints too long. It was easy enough to push past, but it did make for some miserable thoughts.

Collin just wrapped up installing the new faucet on the outside of the house, deciding he would keep to himself for the rest of the week and visit Leah's apartment in Kent next Monday. Then he'd hope against hope that Leah would want to hang out with Whitney, and Collin would suggest that all four of them go out! Unless Hallie had other plans. Oh God, what if she had other plans, other friends, a _boyfriend_?

For having a reputation has the calmest member in the pack (right underneath Seth, because _happy-go-lucky_ was that guy's main artery), Collin didn't feel so calm. His fingers were in a constant state of trembling every time he thought about Hallie, which was slowly becoming twenty-four-seven.

He heard tires crunch over the gravel driveway, a rumbling engine, and some sort of alternative rock music abruptly cut off just as he straightened up from his project. It was one of the last items on the list his mom left for him. He felt like everything else could wait until the weekend after the tenant left.

And then he heard that voice. "Hello?"

Collin couldn't breathe. Was he just hallucinating things? Could it have really been –?

Then a dog started running straight for him. A cute dog with black, white, and tan markings, massive ears, and a jangling orange collar. Of course, having a weakness for dogs, Collin loved the greeting. He hoped whoever owned him was just as friendly. He walked around the house with the dog on his heels, brushing against his legs and threatening to trip him with every step. They practically jogged around the side of the tiny house. And there she was.

Collin could finally _breathe_. The ache in his body disappeared, the pull drifted off like some unpleasant dream.

She stood before him in a baggy blue T-shirt, gym shorts, and ugly chunky sandals all the girls on the reservation wanted but couldn't afford (that still didn't stop Quil from saving up the money to get a pair for Claire). Collin tried not to care about how she got them, and instead focused on her other features. Like that stunning, adorable face, her trim and muscular legs, her long fingers that awkwardly pulled at a fraying hem on her shorts. She was beautiful and delicate, otherworldly compared to the girls Collin saw every day on the reservation. Unique. Maybe the word he should have been using was unique.

They spoke and it was awkward but Collin could have done it all day long. His new favorite pastime was watching Hallie choose her words and the faces she'd make for every reaction. She wasn't as closed off as Collin first assumed, all of her emotions were clear on her face. He liked that about her. She was one of those people that kept things straight to the point.

She asked him if they could start over. _Start over_! It was like she'd been reading his own damn mind when she said that. Of course he could start over! Starting over meant becoming friends, and Collin decided if anything else, he'd love to be her friend.

The sudden change in opinion scared him, but at the same time it just made sense. He couldn't shut her out, that was near-excruciating. So maybe she could just be a friend, an acquaintance, a person he didn't have to avoid, and that would sustain the bond. It seemed to satisfy his wolf, so it should satisfy him.

He hoped it would.

A shimmer tickled the back of Collin's mind, and he was brought back. Someone else made the shift.

He slowed down to a trot, reaching out with his thoughts to find a pack brother's subconscious. His ears flattened when he couldn't detect anything.

He didn't even notice the rustling in the bushes until it was too late. The weight of a horse collided into Collin's exposed side, making the wolf fall face-first into the ground. He scrabbled against the wet soil to get his feet underneath him and surged forward. He spun around, tail lashing as he looked for his attacker.

Instead of another attack, though, Collin was met with obnoxious laughter coming from a taller wolf whose pelt looked similar to his own.

 _You should've seen your_ face _!_ Jacob Black exclaimed through the mental cackles that rang through Collin's head and the wolfy chortles he physically let out. _Hasn't Sam taught you anything, pup?_

 _Shut up, Jake_ , Collin warned. He lashed his tail once, then charged.

Jacob easily side-stepped out of Collin's path, which almost made him run into a tree. Collin wheeled back around and to try again, but Jacob simply out-maneuvered him.

 _Dude, you suck_ , Jacob said.

Collin snorted at him. _Yeah, well, I haven't gotten much of a chance to practice. Brady and I both have a severe lack of real-world experience._

 _You were only thirteen years old when those vamps came around. Sam can be dumb sometimes, but he's not reckless enough to send kids out on a battlefield._ Jacob shook his full body, dislodging leaves and twigs from his fur. Collin followed suit.

 _I get that, but we don't really practice fighting so much anymore, either_ , Collin admitted. _It's more about patrols._

 _Makes sense_ , Jacob said. _Eleven years changes priorities._

 _Yeah, but still_ , Collin said, but his response faded out. It would be no use to describe the frustration his wolf felt when it had been denied its instinct to protect. Whenever he phased, that feeling of inadequacy always made itself known. Eleven years later, Collin still didn't feel like he was a true peer among his brothers. He still felt like he had something to prove.

He lifted his nose to scent the air. There was nothing in the breeze that could be deemed a threat, which was a relief as well as a little disappointing. He really thought a nomad vamp would finally give him the opportunity his wolf had been longing for. He couldn't believe it was just another bust.

 _Do you want to learn?_ Jacob asked.

 _Learn what?_

 _How to fight_ , Jacob replied. Collin cocked his head to the side. _If you're interested, I can show you some of the things I learned. See if you can get anything out of it._

Collin was glad they weren't in the same pack yet, so Jacob couldn't read his mind. Right now, Collin could only think of the phrase 'WTF' in huge neon letters. Collin had never really been that close with his mom's side of the family. He grew up off the reservation. It only took six months after the move back to La Push to turn him.

Even after that, interactions with Jacob had been sporadic at best. He was either always with Bella Swan, the weirdo who _wanted_ to become a leech, or he was busy running away from home. It didn't exactly leave the greatest impression on Collin, but he learned to let it go.

Apparently Jacob didn't need a pack link to know what Collin was thinking. His ears flicked behind him and then forward, taking in the sounds of the forest around them.

 _I know we haven't really had a chance to bond, much less get to know each other_ , Jacob started off. _I wasn't really there for you when you first phased, and I should've been._

 _You weren't an alpha yet, Jake_ , Collin said. _At the time, you didn't even want to be. I wasn't your responsibility. You also didn't even really know me –_

 _Yeah, but still_ , Jacob said, repeating Collin's earlier statement. _You'd think turning into a freaking animal would be enough to bring two people together, especially when they're already bonded by blood. I should've made more of an effort then, so I'm trying to make up for it now. Especially since things have calmed down, the pack's coming back together, and everyone pretty much works at the garage. It's time._

It made sense. There was a gap between them that needed to be patched together. Jacob was going to be Collin's new alpha, both of them were growing up and realizing how important keeping a family together was. It'd make Collin's mom happy, and his cousin Rachel would be ecstatic.

 _I agree_ , he finally said. _It is time. And I want to learn how to fight. If you could show me, it, uh… it'd be cool._

 _Cool_ , Jacob echoed. His tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth and gave Collin a toothy grin. Upbeat was how Rachel, Billy, and his mom described Jacob. Since knowing him, eleven years later, Collin could finally see it. But that only made him question how exactly they were related.

 _What are you doing out here, anyway?_ Collin asked.

 _It's Tuesday, dude_ , Jacob replied. _My night. Nessie's got her violin classes._

 _I know that, I meant why are you this far south? Your patrols usually circle the northeast, closer to Forks._

Jacob's tongue slid back into his mouth and his jaws shut. He tipped his head to the side, giving Collin a quizzical look. _You're pretty observant_ , he said wryly. _Sam warned me that you were. You want the whole truth?_

Collin thought it was a little weird that Sam would be warning Jacob about him, so he tried to deflect. _Don't tell me, were you chasing a squirrel?_

 _Funny._

 _No judgement from me, Brady's done it on patrol before. Two words, man: pray drive. It happens to the best of us –_

 _And I thought I'd have to worry about Brady being the asshole_ , Jacob joked.

If he were human, Collin would've smirked.

 _Quil told me about that scent you guys caught over here_ , Jacob explained. _I wanted to make sure it was just a one-time fluke._

Collin understood why. The threat of the Vultori had been too real. There was always an unspoken understanding that the possibility of them coming back within the pack's lifetime was entirely too high. Especially with Jacob's imprint still living so close to the reservation. He just wanted to make sure his home and his girl were still safe. Hell, Collin was doing the exact same thing, but he wasn't about to tell Jacob that.

 _I think it was_ , Collin reasoned _. Probably just a nomad that got too close, realized what was here, and hightailed it back to wherever the hell it came from. It shouldn't cause you that much concern._

 _You're right_ , Jacob agreed, but Collin knew the words were useless. Logically, it made sense, but when it came to the bond between a wolf and its imprint? Logic flew out the window every time. Collin was finally figuring it out firsthand.

 _The scent is gone, though_ , Collin said. _And I haven't detected anything new for a couple of days now._

 _That's right, you've been pulling doubles_ , Jacob said. _Care to share?_

 _It was the scent_ , Collin lied. _I guess it turned on some kind of switch, but I think my wolf is finally satisfied that there isn't a threat._

 _Sure, sure._

He knew Jacob didn't believe him, but at least he wasn't pushing. Collin's tail swished from side to side. _So when did you want to start training?_

 _How about tonight?_

Collin's ears swiveled forward. Jacob's broad shoulders lurched as he attempted a wolfy shrug. _Unless you've got anything else going on._

As a matter of fact, Collin did. Like going to camp out at his grandfather's cabin and make sure Hallie was having a good second night in his home town. But, again, he wasn't about to tell anyone else that right now. Not until he could figure things out for himself.

 _No…_ Collin said. _No, I'm good. Show me what you got._


End file.
